The Soviet had its origins in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday, when Nicholas II ordered that the workers should elect delegates to present their grievances to a government commission.

[2] When a general strike broke out in Saint Petersburg in October 1905, starting in the capital's printing works but soon spreading to other sectors and other parts of the Russian Empire, the striking printers decided to form a body with workers' delegates from fifty printing works.

The body soon gained great authority over the populace, as it was the first elected organisation of the working class, hitherto without voting rights.

It was formed on October 17 and consisted of 31 persons – 22 deputies and 9 representatives of parties (6 from the two social-democrat factions and 3 from the socialist revolutionaries).

Although he temporarily became the Soviet's figurehead, the measures were decided by the parties, mainly the Social Democratic representatives, and Trotsky in particular played a leading role.

[7] Despite the euphoria in the capital following the imperial proclamation, which led to a huge demonstration involving workers and the middle classes, those in favour of maintaining the Tsarist autocracy still retained power.

[8] In a speech to the crowd at Saint Petersburg Imperial University, Trotsky identified the weaknesses of the revolution that ultimately caused it to fail: despite the monarch's vacillations, the power of the autocracy remained in place.

While the Assistant Minister of Internal Affairs, Dmitri Trepov, was preparing the Special Corps of Gendarmes to disperse the rally at the funeral of the strike victims announced for two days later, and the secret police were organising a pogrom, Trotsky advocated the cancellation of the march.

1 November] 1905, he held a solemn reception for the Polish delegation - consisting mainly of aristocrats and priests - which came to him to protest the proclamation of the state of siege in Congress Poland.

5 November] 1905, due to the exhaustion of part of the population; by then the government had partially relented and allowed the civilian trial of the sailors.

The Socialist Revolutionaries expressed the need to react by attacking Tsarist ministers, while others preferred to call a new general strike.

[16] Unable to organise an armed uprising, the soviet opted for a financial boycott of the government and asked the population to stop paying taxes and demand payment in gold.

3 December] 1905, while the executive council was discussing the government's latest repressive measures - permission to provincial governors to proclaim a state of siege, censorship of the press which had published the petition for a boycott of the Soviet, plans to ban socialist parties, etc.