European states (Russia): Discuss the impact of the First World War on one European country (other than Germany, Italy, or Spain) in the inter-war years. Flashcards
Thesis
The war exposed the flaws of Tsarist Russia, speeding up the coming of the revolution. But most importantly, it created the socio-economic problems that facilitated the Bolshevik takeover.
Paragraphs
-Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in February 1917
-Created socio-economic problems
-Allowed the Bolsheviks to gain support
Paragraphs
-Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in February 1917
-Created socio-economic problems
-Allowed the Bolsheviks to gain support
Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in 1917- examples
-People already resented the Tsar before the war. Despite promises to give the people more of a role in government through a Duma (parliament), following a revolution in 1905, he had never really shown any commitment to th idea of sharing political power.
-His decision to take over as the commander of the army meant that he was also blamed for the military failures.
Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in 1917- explanation
-By February 1917, he had lost the support of his troops, ministers, and the people of Russia, and in March 1917, after soldiers in Petrograd joined striking workers in protest against Nicholas’ rule, the Tsar was forced to abdicate.
-Because the Russian people had already been disappointed by the Tsar, his failures during WW1 tipped them over the edge, leading to his removal from power.
Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in 1917- counterargument: historiography
-Martin McCauley: The revolution would have happened even without the impact of the war due to the growing frustrations of the Russian people.
-Robert McKean: The war caused the collapse of Tsarism because it put such strains on society and disrupted the positive developments that were taking place re the constitution and the economy.
Contributed to the collapse of Tsarism in 1917- mini judgment
Created socio-economic problems- examples
-The disruption of supplies meant that civilians suffered terribly; by 1917, there were extreme food and fuel shortages in the major cities and inflation was rampant. In 1916, the rouble had just a quarter of its pre-war buying power.
-Famine caused over 6 million deaths between 1914 and 1922.
Created socio-economic problems- explanation
-For most Russians, this was an intolerable situation, and frustration built up within the population, eventually leading to the overthrow of the Tsar.
-Link to the rise of the Bolsheviks
Created socio-economic problems- mini judgment
Allowed the Bolsheviks to gain support- examples
-The promise of peace, bread, and land appealed to people
-The Bolshevik party grew from 3,000 members in February 1917 to 350,000 on the eve of the October revolution.
-The Bolsheviks gained popularity for agreeing to the peace terms at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, although this came at a cost (Russia lost 62 million people and 27% of its farmland).
Allowed the Bolsheviks to gain support- explanation
-Because the war had caused such poverty and decreased the standard of living, people were tired of the war and motivated by promises of food and land.
-Fear of German invasion (morale in the Russian army was low and there was fear that the German army would walk into Russia and take whatever land it wanted)
Allowed the Bolsheviks to gain support- mini judgment
