February Revolution Flashcards
What sparked the revolution
The Great War - its catastrophic defeats shook the very core of society
What three themes could you use as to why the February revolution occurred (in order of importance)
Military
Social
Political
What did Trotsky state about war
“War is the locomotive for history”
Why did Russia get involved in the Great War
Considered herself the caretaker of the Slavic people (including Serbs)
Acted in defence of Serbia against the Austrian-Hungary Empire
Give examples of the inadequacies of Russia providing military provisions
No Ministry of Supply had been established in 1914, and only a 3-month offensive had been planned
- This meant by Christmas 1914, already short of munitions, warm clothing and suitable weaponry
- 1915, Russian army limited to 3 shells per day - negative impact on soldier morale
In 1914, the infantry had only two rifles for every…soldiers. Soldiers had to rely on weapons from……………………to fight on
3
Fallen comrades
What did rifle production doubling and heavy armoury production quadrupling in 1916 come at the expense of
Civilian needs - limited industrial capacity
What is the Zemgor
1914 - Duma dissolved itself
Later that year, the existing zemstva and municipal dumas joined together to form the Zemgor chaired by Prince Lvov
Tsar refused to work with this liberal organisation
Empowered political groups and highlighted goverment incompetence
What was the Congress of Representatives of Industry and Business in 1915
Formed by factory owners and businessmen to help coordinate production and combat supply problems
What was the ‘Progressive Bloc’
Tsar recalled Duma in 1915
Met a unified DUma who demanded the tsar create a ‘government of public confidence’.
Nicholas suspended the Duma but unauthorised meetings continued - holding Tsar personally responsible for shortages on the front lines
What did the ineffective Russian command system mean and give some evidence
Troops were only partly trained, leading to defeats and low morale
- Supreme commander had never engaged in serious fighting, and most top commanders had little Profesional training/military experience
How many peasants were conscripted in war
15 million
By 1917, …million Russians had been killed, …m wounded and 2.5m prisoners
1.7
8
What were the consequences of the Tsar assuming supreme commander
Made him directly accountable for future military disasters, and left his wife and Rasputing free reign to meddle with the court
How was Nicholas’ authority/autocracy damaged from the war
Rumours spread that his German wife was deliberately undermining the war effort
Rasputin’s increased influence over Alexandra further damaged Nicholas’ reputation
Rasputin constantly changed ministers that opposed him, which was almost everyone - made members of the army, duma and general public increasingly cynical about the autocratic system
