How far do you agree that the First World War was mainly responsible for the February Revolution of 1917? Some people may argue that World War I was the cause of the February Revolution, however, others may claim that there were many causes for the Revolution, as it was going to happen, regardless, if World War I occurred or not. In 1905, 20% of peasants had ownership of their own land, but by 1915, this had risen to 50%. Also, agriculture production rose from 45.9 million tonnes in 1906 to 61.7 million tonnes in 1913. Russian agriculture was clearly improving.
The October revolution of 1917 in effect, led to the Russian Civil war which was the exact opposite of what the Bolsheviks wanted and this predominantly moved on to Lenin’s death and the power struggle. It is for these reasons that the October Revolution of 1917 was a very significant event in changing the course of Russian history from 1855 to 1964 because without this event, the Bolsheviks would never have seized power and thus the following events would have been very unlikely to happen. However, the October revolution of 1917 was not the most significant event. There were many other events which need to be taken
How far was WWI essentially responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs in 1817? For years tension had been brewing due to many different aspects of life in Russia, like the personality of the Tsar, the inconsistency of the Duma and general weaknesses which prevented Russia in becoming a successfully developed and industrialised country. However other factors such as abandonment of the Tsars traditional supporters and the First World War would be considered very influential in building upon the social discontent and already existing issues which eventually lead to a consequential revolution as well as the end of Tsarist rule in 1917. Nicholas II, son of Alexander III, abdicated his throne and his haemophiliac son’s, who was too ill to serve as Tsar. The throne was then passed onto his brother Grand Duke Michael who refused, thus ending the Romanovs 300 year old rule over Russia.
Following the Auxiliary Service Law in December 1919, which required all able-bodied Germans to work for the war effort, there was a sharp increase of social unrest as Germans felt their rights being curtailed. The winter of 1916-17 was the peak of discontent as the severe food and fuel shortages were at their worst. Civilian deaths from starvation and hypothermia increased from 121,000 in 1916 to 293,000 in 1918 and infant mortality increased by over 50% over the duration of the war. This led to huge resentment among Germans as they questioned the injustice of the loss of lives. 16% of the 1.8million who died at war were conscripted and all families were somehow impacted by the war, which consequently led to a decline in the popularity of the Royal Family.
The farmers fought against the Gold Standard, railroads, and industrialist during this period causing lots of confrontation. In document G you can see the increase rate of manufacturing corporations and the steady decline of the agricultural market. The United States could no longer wish to be a country of small estate farms. Industrialists and the people living in immense cities depended on farmers to basically keep them alive throughout the years. However, back then numerous people didn’t comprehend just how much of an impact farmers had on their everyday lives.
Additionally the production of steel stagnated. Although economy grew by 14%, they failed to meet official targets and as a result the local party officials were sacked or demoted. Overall, the Russian economy improved massively changing from a backward peasant economy at the end of the 1920’s to a highly industrial economy by 1941. In terms of consumer goods there was no a significant improvement. The Five Year Plan tried to eradicate free trade which meant that people could not afford what they wanted.
Moscow, for example, had been receiving 2,200 railway wagons of grain per month in 1914, but by Christmas 1916, this figure was down to around 300 wagons. Therefore, there was not enough food to feed the people of Russia – and to make matters worse, rationing was in place, under which each person was entitled to a mere 50g of bread per day. This resulted in the people of Russia becoming agitated and taking part in the strikes and demonstrations in Petrograd, which led to the abdication of the Tsar. Secondly, the First World War crippled the Russian economy. The country mobilised 5.3 million men (9% of the population) in 1914, and, by Christmas 1916, 15.3 million men had experienced military service.
Moscow, for example, had been receiving 2,200 railway wagons of grain per month in 1914, but by Christmas 1916, this figure was down to around 300 wagons. There wasn’t enough food to feed the people of Russia – and to make matters worse, rationing was in place, under which each person got a mere 50g of bread per day. This resulted in the people of Russia becoming agitated and taking part in the strikes and demonstrations in Petrograd, which led to the abdication of the Tsar. Secondly, the First World War crippled the Russian economy. The country mobilized 5.3 million men in 1914, and, by Christmas 1916, 15.3 million men had experienced military service.
By January 1917 World War 1 (WW1) had left Russia in a critical state with over 1 million troops dead and 4 million wounded. Workers in the city were suffering and on the verge of starvation. The president of the Duma warned the Tsar that Russia was reaching a crisis point but Nicholas ignored the warnings. WW1 had set the scene for a revolution and had made the people of Russia resent the Tsar. The war caused anger in Russian society and anti-government feelings among the mass of the population.
History: Question: World War 1 was a key event in the lead up to the revolution and without it the revolution would have never occurred in Russia. Do you agree or disagree? World War 1 was a key event in the lead up to the revolution. There were many other factors that will be discussed, but eventually all led to the war which in turn led to the revolution. 3 factors will be discussed other than the war, the famine in Russia and the strikes which turned into riots before the war and the big part which all strikes and riots built into, Bloody Sunday.