Chapter 7- The First World War

Question 0

What were the initial views on war?

Answer 0

The country united behind the tsar and his government in an atmosphere of patriotism

Question 1

What did the outbreak of war in August 1914 bring an end to? (For the tsar)

Answer 1

Industrial unrest in Russia

Question 2

In 1914, what happened to the students in st Petersburg who had once protested against the tsar?

Answer 2

They found a new enemy, and took to protesting outside of the German embassy

Question 3

What caused the battle of tannenburg?

Answer 3

The Russian armies entered east Prussia, the easternmost Provence of Germany, and over ran much of the Austro-Hungarian province of Galicia. The advance forced the German armies to amend their war plan, the schlieffen plan, and armies were diverted to meet the Russians

Question 4

What happened at the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 4

German generals Hindenburg and Ludendorf won a crushing victory over Russian generals Rennenkampf and Samsonov. 30,000 Russian troops were killed or wounded,and 95,000 were captured.

Question 5

How many Russian soldiers were killed or injured at the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 5

30,000

Question 6

How many Russians were captured at the Battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 6

95,000

Question 7

How many Russian soldiers managed to escape the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 7

10,000 (these were mostly from retreating flanks)

Question 8

What happened to the Germans at the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 8

They had fewer than 20,000 casualties and captured over 500 guns.

Question 9

When was the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 9

August/September 1914

Question 10

What did Samsonov do after the battle of Tannenburg?

Answer 10

Shot himself on 29 august 1914 so that he would not have to report his failure to the tsar

Question 11

In September 1914 what Austro-Hungarian town did the Russian forces surround?

Answer 11

The fortress town of Przemysl

Question 12

How long did the siege of Przemysl last and what happened?

Answer 12

More than 4 months, Russians captured the town and 110,000 prisoners. The military developments had a mixed effect on the popularity of war at home.

Question 13

What year proved to be a turning point in the fighting on the Eastern front?

Answer 13

1915

Question 14

Which battle took place between the Germans and the Russians in December 1914?

Answer 14

The battle of lodz, the Russians were defeated

Question 15

What followed the battle of Lodz?

Answer 15

The Austro-Germans forces’ launch of the Gorlice-Tarnow offensive in July 1915

Question 16

What happened by the end of 1915?

Answer 16

Russian forces had been completely driven out of Russian Poland

Question 17

What was seen to be one of the tsars worst decisions in September 1915?

Answer 17

After the loss of Poland, the tsar dismissed his uncle Nikolai as commander in chief of the Russian army, and took command himself despite being unqualified

Question 18

Who was the running of the government and its administration left to when the tsar took command of the army?

Answer 18

The tsarina Alexandra

Question 19

When did the Brusilov offensive occur?

Answer 19

From June to August 1917

Question 20

What were the initial successes of the Brusilov offensive?

Answer 20

Romania entered the war on Russia’s side

Question 21

What were the failures of the Brusilov offensive

Answer 21

By august it ran out of momentum
Russian forces had to retreat from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea
The retreat was associated with desertions

Question 22

What happened by Christmas 1916?

Answer 22

Russian army was facing major shortages of war material and a fall in morale

Question 23

What were the leading factors contributing to the failure of the Brusilov offensive?

Answer 23

Nicholas II proved to be a very poor commander in chief
Poor internal communications
Problems with the railway
A shortage of military equipment reaching the front

Question 24

How many artillery shells did the Russians produce in September 1916?

Answer 24

4.5 million

Question 25

What happened to the Russian army by Christmas 1916?

Answer 25

1.6 million dead,3.9 million wounded and 2.4 million taken prisoner

Question 26

How many men were mobilised by the country in 1914?

Answer 26

5.3 million men (or 9% of the population)

Question 27

How many men had experienced military service by Christmas 1916?

Answer 27

15.3 million men

Question 28

What financed the rise in the national budget between 1913 and 1916?

Answer 28

Higher taxes

Loans and borrowing from Britain and France

Question 29

When did the national budget rise by eightfold?

Answer 29

1913-1916

Question 30

How much did the national budget rise between 1913-1916

Answer 30

Eightfold

Question 31

How much did prices rise by between august 1914 and Christmas 1916?

Answer 31

200%

Question 32

What was the job of the central war industries committee?(July 1915)

Answer 32

To help stimulate the productions of weapons and ammunition

Question 33

What did the success of organisations set up in the war highlight to the Russian people?

Answer 33

The incompetence of the government

Question 34

How did being autocratic hinder the tsar during the war?

Answer 34

He didn’t know how to effectively incorporate groups and political parties in to his own war effort

Question 35

What was the ZEMGOR(zemstva’s and town Dumas June 1915)

Answer 35

The all Russian Union of zemstva and cities to aid the care of war casualties

Question 36

What happened as a result of the governments inefficient use of the ZEMGOR?

Answer 36

It became a centre of liberal discontent against the shortcomings of the Russian war effort

Question 37

What did the progressive bloc call for?

Answer 37

A government of public confidence, it became the centre of political opposition but was not a direct challenge to the Tsar

Question 38

What was the Progressive Bloc made up of?

Answer 38

236/422 state Duma deputies (mainly kadets, octobrists and progressivists)