The outbreak of World War One in 1914 also spelt disaster for the Tsar upon his decision to take direct command of the Russian army, which meant that every military failure would now be associated with him personally and contributed to the growing sense of dissent. Nicholas was not a trained general and had no experience in the area of war; both he and his generals were incompetent, the army lacked resources and equipment and the men had minimal training. All of these factors placed both Russia and their forces in a fragile position, and with their numerous military failures coupled with the initial destruction of their standing army, the finger was pointed at the Tsar. This notion of military failure under the Tsar is highlighted in source A, where the military is described as
This therefore caused the Russo-Japanese War to be partly responsible for the outbreak of the 1905 Revolution. Huge military defeats were caused by the Russo-Japanese War, which highlighted the weakness of the military and caused national humiliation, which contributed to the 1905 Revolution. The Russian Baltic fleet consisting of the 35 warships had sailed from northern Europe to the Far East, only to lose 25 warships in a defeat by the Japanese navy. The crushing of Russian’s military added impetus to the 1905 Revolution, as it made the people of Russia aware of the weakness of their military and ashamed to be Russian. They were losing to a nation very few had heard of and it was humiliating.
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. This situation only got worse as the months went on. Although the PG were fighting in the war for a good reason, to ensure financial support from the allies, many of the soldiers were unaware of this and had little idea of what they are fighting for. Subsequently they weren’t motivated to fight, generally opposed the war effort and were a weak enemy to fight against. This was proven in June as they launched an offensive on the Germans in Russia; they suffered
How did such an ancient monarchy collapse so dramatically? What where the major factors leading to the downfall? And to what extent was Nicholas II himself responsible? Quite frequently, when Nicholas is described by historians, especially in relation with the downfall of the tsarist system, the aspect of a weak character is mentioned. When we say “weakness in character” we mean being easily influenced or even controlled by others.
The crushing of Russian’s military added movement to the 1905 Revolution, as it made the people of Russia aware of the weakness of their military, making many people become un-patriotic. They were losing to a nation very few had heard of and it was humiliating. However, many of the defeats to the Russian military occurred after the Revolution had started, not causing its outbreak, but merely adding to the opposition to autocratic rule by the Tsar and prolonging the Revolution. The Russo-Japanese War also brought about economic problems for Russia, and this therefore meant there was a significant lack of money to solve any other problems present Russia, hence partly being responsible for
The fall of the Tsar in Russia in 1917 was the culmination of many factors. It was clear since the beginning of his reign that Nicholas II was not suited to his role as Tsar, mainly due to his character and personality. Although Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto to pacify the discontent of people temporarily, he still had to face some problems after the 1905 Revolution. To regain the support from people, he needed to carry out the reforms in the October Manifesto. His reform included different aspect; such as political, social and economic.
The factors responsible were both short-term and long-term including, the opposition of the political parties, economic troubles, industrialisation problems and most importantly the Bloody Sunday. The war, itself did not prompt the revolution- it was the fact that Russia lost to a much smaller and almost inferior country. Russia’s huge military defeats were caused by the Russo-Japanese war. An example of such a defeat was in January 1905 when the army had to surrender their Port Arthur naval base in Northern China, which they had possessed before the start of the war. This highlighted the weakness of the military and caused national humiliation, thus contributing to the outbreak of the 1905 Revolution.
The collapse of the Roman Empire was a calamity; it leads to the Dark (Middle) Ages. Seeing all the bad that came of it, the destruction of art, the collapse of great cities, the deterioration of the system of roads, the ruin of the Mediterranean trade, and the loss of European unity--it's difficult to imagine any good came of it. But some good did result. The break up of the empire led to the abolition of slavery in Europe. Of course, this, in turn, led to more poverty and the increase of latifundia because the poor people lost their land to the aristocrats.
Collectivisation was inefficient forcing USSR to import goods, however, goods were still scare and when available were of terrible quality. Workers had become demotivated and unproductive as many no longer believed in communism, partly thanks to high levels of corruption throughout the Soviet Union. This in turn led to an increase in absenteeism and alcoholism. It is therefore evident that upon receiving control of the USSR, Gorbachev was given an extremely difficult and sensitive situation which he decided needed reforms to fix. However, the way in which he would go about these reforms would prove disastrous.
Many have come to the question: What were the contributing factors to the fail of the Roman Empire? Political downfall, social wrecking, economic destruction, and military confusion brought on the collapse of the Roman Empire. What was once a thriving republic that the public knew and loved turned into an unjust and corrupted empire and with it brought confusion. Julius Caesar, a military leader, had earned the support and trust of Rome and was appointed dictator. Caesar would later destroy what was left of the republic.