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
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
Not all peasants were loyal or religious as many supported the opposition, the Social Revolutionaries. Their main discontent was over land - they resented the amount of land owned by the aristocracy, the Church and the Tsar. They also hated the conditions they had to live in and work. An example of their horrible conditions was that the life expectancy for an average peasant farmer was only forty years old. Most of the peasants wanted change and the way they could do was to get the Tsar out and they could achieve that through the Social Revolutionaries and other opposition parties.
Nicholas II may have believed that, by taking charge, his army would be inspired and would fight with renewed vigour. Unfortunately, the Tsar knew little about the command and organisation of large military forces, and the series of defeats and humiliations continued. The organisation of the Russian army deteriorated and there were massive shortages of ammunition, equipment, and medical supplies. Nicholas II's decision to take charge meant that he was increasingly seen by the Russian people as having personal responsibility for the military disasters inflicted on Russia. Therefore it can be argued that it was not the protesters on the streets of Petrograd but the poor leadership
Although there are several reasons that contribute towards the failure of the Provisional Government, such as the shared power with the soviets, the decision to continue fighting in the First World War was the most important because it led to the loss of support of the people and perhaps more importantly the army, who they desperately needed to keep hold of, as the army protected them. The First World War was the biggest problem the Provisional Government faced, having already lost territory in places such as Poland, and the morale of the armed forces was rapidly decreasing. By continuing in the First World War, the Provisional Government lost the support of the people. Russia owed a large amount of money to several countries who had loaned money to fund the war. The foreign banks were willing to continue to loan to Russia as long as they continued fighting, therefore it can be argued that the Provisional Government was inclined to continue the fighting in the First World War.
Why Was There A Revolution In 1905 The Revolution in 1905 happened for many reasons, some reasons are long term and some short term. A long-term cause of the 1905 Revolution was the continuing dissatisfaction of both peasants and landowners to the Emancipation Edict of 1861. Although this piece of legislation had brought an end to serfdom, peasants still remained tied to the village commune called the mir and were angry at the redemption payments they were expected to pay in return for the land they had received. They believed more, and better quality, land should have been given to them at no cost. Their anger was made evident during the peasant disturbances of 1902.
He merely states what he has seen. Soldiers on the frontline soon began coming home as they wanted to become landowners. This was because when the Tsar was in power, he took land away from peasants so it could be used for things other than the growth of food for people who were in desperate need of it. Consequently, the Russian army were now struggling in maintaining to put up a strong fight in the war. The morale on the frontline was low and all soldiers had lost determination after hearing Kerensky had made the sudden decision of keeping Russia fighting in the war, for no other reason than to keep in alliance with other countries, this is identified through source 31, a Provisional Government minister explaining why Russia should stay in the war “The PG should do nothing
The war had affected the trigger of the revolution by the weak army with a large lack of ammunition for their weapons, therefore they were unable to fight and fend for themselves, therefore Russia had to depend on the Allies such as Great Britain and France had to help them, also the tactics the Russians had used were very old fashioned therefore it had seemed they weren’t ready for war at all. This was seen as embarrassing for the Russian people and a hint for the people they needed change in Russia, if they were going to survive in the modern world. The war was a rather large mistake for the Tsar, although Russia had obtained slight success at the beginning they were facing harsh Germany and had badly equipped Generals, who were unsuccessful and not well trained this showed more signs of not being at all ready for the war. Furthermore, the Tsar had left Petrograd the capital of Russia to become the Commander of Russia’s army, this was a huge mistake for the Tsar as he had no military experience whatsoever and from then on, the Tsar was blamed for
This led to an increase in strikes. Secondly, the peasants lacking of land; rapidly developing a new a class of hostile landless labourers, also discontent existed in middle classes due to the growth in professional middle class, who wanted a greater role in national government. Therefore looking at these scenarios it seems the depth of frustration of the people about their situation and their disaffection with Russian society and monarchy was another cause of the 1917 revolution. The Tsar’s reaction to social discontent prior to the revolution was indecisive and his relenting attitude towards his autocracy further alienated the growing opposition groups. In 1915 when the moderates in the Duma joined together to form ‘The progressive Bloc’, compromising over two-third of the Duma member.
The months before and during the Bolshevik revolution, as well as the signing of the peace treaty at Brest-Litovsk cause turmoil among the socialists and brought Russia into civil war. The Provisional Government of Russia treated the middle and lower class citizens of Russia very poorly, ignoring their needs, as well as dragging them into World War I and two civil wars in a little over two decades. The workers of Russia wanted a democratic republic, or any government that would have allowed them to make a difference, and one that would help them as much as their current government was against them (Wade 27). In 1917, Russia was at war in World War I and was suffering economically because of it, as well as loosing the lives of many of their young men in battle. The people of Russia desired to leave World War I as smoothly and as quickly as possible (Wade 29).