Industrialization, growing Estonian and Latvian nationalism, increasing Russification and finally the revolutionary year 1905 made Reval a place of cultural and political upheaval. Up to that point, however, these factors played hardly any role in Leopold's letters to his cousin.
In a letter from June 1904, Leopold tells his cousin about the effects of the Russo-Japanese War on business and laments that he is not closer to the war zone:
“Business isn't particularly good just now, it could hardly be expected because of the war. However, we can still make out all right-Russia isn't that poor either! […] If only the theater of war weren't so frightfully distant from us, then things would take a different turn, but - things will change eventually and our fortunes improve. We 're still optimistic and far from becoming discouraged.
The unpopular war between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan did not come closer to Reval - but violence did. As in major parts of the Russian empire, revolutionary unrest grew in 1905 Reval.
In January, a first wave of bloody riots and strikes took place. On October 14, 1905, there was a general strike in Reval following the Russian railway workers' strike. Although the Russian city government implemented many of the revolutionary workers' demands, the army was not withdrawn from Reval. At a large demonstration on October 17, the army began shooting into the crowd, killing and wounding many demonstrators.
Photograph of Russian soldiers in the streets of Reval
In October 1905, Leopold informed Charles Haase about the situation in Reval, sending him copies of local newspapers. At this point, or possibly later in the year, he sent his cousin a series of photographs that are now part of the Geschwind Family Papers. Although no details are provided, the buildings depicted and the angle of the pictures suggest that they were likely taken from an upper story of Leopold Haase's store. In his letter, he described the violence he had witnessed within the last weeks:
“Two weeks ago it was absolutely terrifying here! A revolver shot went right through two panes of my largest shop window.
Since then there's been nothing but the greatest excitement around here, which shows no sign of letting up. God only knows what will happen next. Otherwise, we are all in good health. For many days now we've kept the shutters closed for most of the time. It's been a little quieter in the last couple of days.“
Another letter fragment sent from Leopold to Charles in December 1905 gives some more insight into how Leopold personally experienced the revolution. Along with a general report about his current business, Leopold asks Charles to send him an illustrated catalogue to show his customers some “’genuine American’ items, direct from America” to “brush up our image a bit!”
Leopold probably refers to anti-German sentiments that already evolved during the increasing Russification and broke out completely and violently as part of the revolution. Some of the revolutionaries began to attack, plunder and set fire to over 400 German farms and manor houses, killing around 100 members of the community. As an urban businessman, Leopold would have been much less affected by the violent effects than the rural Baltic German gentry.
But in the same letter he also reports new revolutionary violence in the city.
“Devil take it, things are beginning to get
uneasy again. They're expecting rebellious agitation again...“An awful lot of assassinations are taking place, terror is on the loose, and anyone with enemies can expect the worst. These people have become so brutalized that they no longer fear any kind of punishment; they can hardly be distinguished from animals. Since I'm still a citizen of the German Empire, my interests count for nothing politically. I have no voice in what goes on, and have to consider everything that's happening from that viewpoint.”
Nevertheless, Leopold obviously put his trust in the Russian Empire and its military. In addition to comments in his letters, a photo of him with a group of soldiers, probably taken in the winter of 1905, is an indication of that.
“Yesterday large numbers of mounted Cossacks again rode through the streets here. These wild sons are our protectors, God make it end like this.
In his letter of December 1905, Leopold already expresses his wish to give up his business and leave Reval if he could find a buyer in this turbulent political situation. From his other letters-- and from Mary Geschwind’s research-- we know that he stayed in the Russian Empire until 1909, at which point he retired to Germany and handed his business over to his son Hugo.
Leopold was one of many Germans who decided to leave the Baltic provinces at the beginning of the new century.