In the first 20 years of his reign, Nicholas tried to make Russia more modern, but these plans were held back by the nobles and the Tsar's weak leadership. He and his chief ministers Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin encouraged railways, land reform, education, the borrowing of money and ties with France. In 1905, after Russia's disastrous defeat in the war with Japan and the massacre of protestors on Bloody Sunday, he faced widespread protests and calls for a parliament. He created one (the Duma), but he would not allow it to have many powers. His reign began with the Khodynka Tragedy. Other problems included attacks on the Russian Jews, anger over the power of Grigori Rasputin, and the imprisonments and executions of people who opposed the government.