How Far Do You Agree That the First World War Was Mainly Responsible for the February Revolution of 1917?

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How far do you agree that the first world war was mainly responsible for the February revolution of 1917? To fully understand to what extent the first world was was responsible for the February revolution of 1917 we must look further than the war itself. Other factors such as the actions of the Tsar Nicholas alongside the social and economic strains the was placed upon the country can also be identified as important. The war played a large part in influencing the revolution. 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. A common occurrence within the army was troops trading their weapons- of which there was a shortage of- for food or other basic necessities. War weariness also created other issues such as inflation. At the start of 1914 Russia had achieved financial stability, yet from 1914-17 government spending rose from 4 million roubles to 30 million. In an attempt to raise capitol taxation was increased, coupled with heavy borrowing from other countries. Severe inflation occurred, acute in 1916, as the gold standard was abandoned and more notes were put into circulation in order to be able to pay wages. This inflation also contributed to the shortages in food, as trading became unprofitable. Many
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