You will need to find out a little more about the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 as well.
Russia wanted to extend its Trans Siberian railway across Manchuria and had negotiated this with the Chinese. However, the Japanese wanted to increase their influence in this particular region and objected. This war was important because it was the first time an Asian nation had beaten a modern European empire.
The consequences of this were a loss of prestige and a realisation, both within and without Russia, that the power of the nation was founded on past reputation rather than modern reality.
The following year, elements within the Russian navy mutinied, undermining the authority of the officer class, which was based primarily on social position rather than professional competence.