▁the ▁Ts ar ist ▁regime ▁and ▁Nicholas ' s ▁fail ures ▁in ▁World ▁War ▁I . ▁While ▁rural ▁agr arian ▁pe as ants ▁had ▁been ▁em an cip ated ▁from ▁ser f dom ▁in ▁ 1 8 6 1 , ▁they ▁still ▁res ented ▁pay ing ▁re dem ption ▁pay ments ▁to ▁the ▁state , ▁and ▁demanded ▁commun al ▁tender ▁of ▁the ▁land ▁they ▁worked . ▁The ▁problem ▁was ▁further ▁comp ounded ▁by ▁the ▁failure ▁of ▁Serge i ▁W itte ' s ▁land ▁re forms ▁of ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁In cre asing ▁pe asant ▁dist urban ces ▁and ▁sometimes ▁actual ▁revol ts ▁occurred , ▁with ▁the ▁goal ▁of ▁se cur ing ▁ownership ▁of ▁the ▁land ▁they ▁worked . ▁Russia ▁consisted ▁mainly ▁of ▁poor ▁far ming ▁pe as ants ▁and ▁substantial ▁inequality ▁of ▁land ▁ownership , ▁with ▁ 1 . 5 % ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁ow ning ▁ 2 5 % ▁of ▁the ▁land . ▁ ▁The ▁rapid ▁industrial ization ▁of ▁Russia ▁also ▁resulted ▁in ▁urban ▁over c row ding ▁and ▁poor ▁conditions ▁for ▁urban ▁industrial ▁workers ▁( as ▁mentioned ▁above ). ▁Between ▁ 1 8 9 0 ▁and ▁ 1 9 1 0 , ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁the ▁capital , ▁Saint ▁Petersburg , ▁sw elled ▁from ▁ 1 , 0 3 3 , 6 0 0 ▁to ▁ 1 , 9 0 5 , 6 0 0 , ▁with ▁Moscow ▁experien cing ▁similar ▁growth . ▁This ▁created ▁a ▁new ▁' pro let ariat ' ▁which , ▁due ▁to