Tsarina Alexandra was influenced by Gregori Rasputin, an unpopular and scruffy “holy” man, who was supposedly controlling her son’s haemophilia condition. Nicholas’s decisions at the Eastern Front caused the country's military failures; by 1917 over 1,300,000 men had been killed in battle, 4,200,000 wounded and 2,417,000 had been captured by the enemy. First World War had a disastrous impact on the Russian economy; food was in short supply and this led to rising prices. By January 1917 the price of commodities in Petrograd had increased by six times. In an attempt to increase their wages, industrial workers went on strike.
When war was declared in 1914, much of the Russian population rallied behind the Tsar and the monarchy in a wave of patriotism. However, the war weariness in the face of 'Total War' soon gripped the country, as the war exacerbated the domestic difficulties of Russia and highlighted the governments structural issues. Losses such as the 'Brusilov offensive' demoralised the army, which in turn weakened the standing of the Tsar and the faith the public placed in him. Poor organisation lead to major casualties, as by Christmas of 1916, 1.6 million soldiers were dead and 3.9 million were wounded with 2.4 million taken prisoner. This lack of organisation also lead to food shortages and issues with transport.
In result of this, this cause loads of deaths. To conclude the actions from the officers were a very important factor in causing a high death toll in World War One. This was mainly down to their naivety, ineptness and how out of touch they really were. There loss of seeing things for how they really were, was another reason why there army lost so many of their men. In some cases it seemed the army were being sent in blind, as the officers refused to change their old fashioned
This was terribly inconsiderate of the military as the other 82% of the nation was left to starve as the military was the government’s top priority. This led to extreme cases of hunger across Russia which soon became famine. Food shortages were at their worst in the towns and cities, Petrograd suffered particularly badly due to the remoteness from the food-producing regions. Secondly, transportation was a key pre- existing war condition; it was the disruption of the transport system rather than the decline in food production that was the major cause Russia’s wartime shortages. The attempt to transport millions of troops and masses of supplies to the war fronts created unbearable pressure on the Russian transport system, and it bucked under the pressure.
The reactionary reign of Alexander III led to a tightening of government control and the persecution of minority groups, such as Jews, within the Empire. Another long-term cause of the 1905 Revolution was the worsening conditions of both peasants and urban workers. The famines in 1897, 1898 and 1901 had led to shortage and distress in the countryside. Living and working conditions in Russia’s industrial towns were no better. Workers worked in poorly ventilated factories for long hours and little pay.
‘It was the protesters on the streets of Petrograd which forced the end of 300 years of Romanov rule.’ To what extent do you agree with this as the key reason for the February 1917 Revolution? One the one hand it can be argued that that the protesters on the streets of Petrograd was the key reason for the February 1917 revolution because the strike put Petrograd at a virtual standstill which restricted the amount of equipment sent to the soldiers on the frontline. However on the other hand it can be argued that the protesters on the streets of Petrograd was not the key reason for the February 1917 revolution as there was other factors that led to the revolution, for example, World War I was a total disaster for Russia. The Russian army suffered defeat after defeat at the hands of Germany. Overall it will be argued here that the protesters on the streets of Petrograd were not the key reason for the February 1917 revolution.
Before the PG came into power, the already dire economic, agrarian and social problems were getting worse and worse as the war continued and as a result, the majority of Russians opposed the war effort. This meant that from the beginning of their reign, the PGs decision to carry on with the war made them unpopular as food shortages and the economy got worse and worse. For example, by 1917, the price of bread had doubled while the rations halved from their original figures in 1914. This discontent was proven as early as April the 20th as a riot broke onto the streets demanding that Milyukov, the head of Russian foreign affairs and key war minister, was sacked. This was significant as it meant that in the times of potential danger for the PG, they couldn’t rely on the people to support them.
If this was not the case, when the Germans attacked there could have been a much better chance of defeating them. The low level of morale was mostly due to Stalin’s purges of the 1930s which led to a huge loss of talent from the Red Army as well as its organisation and structure. Leadership of the army was specifically targeted resulting in the murder or removal of three to five marshals, 13 of 15 army commanders, eight of nine admirals, 50 of 57 army corps commanders, 154 out of 186 division commanders, 16 of 16 army commissars, and 25 of 28 army corps commanders. In total, 30,000 members of the armed Red Army forces were executed. This was a heavy blow for the Russians when the Germans attacked, leaving them without leadership or well-planned strategies.
This made the people more frustrated with the Tsar as 10 million soldiers had already died, therefore they did not want the suffering to go on longer if they were not going to win. This made the 1917 revolution inevitable because the people
Were the big three of Versailles very stupid men? Introduction After the First World War, many countries were left behind as losers. And you can’t just leave the losing countries behind and ignore them. You have to decide if they have to be punished or do they have to give away land or colonies that they own? For sure it is hard to decide something like this smoothly, after all the damage and death that happened during the war.