FIRST WORLD WAR 1914-18 Flashcards
Who was assassinated in June 1914?
Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.
When and why was a mobilisation order passed in Russia?
July 1914.
Reaction to Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia.
What followed a declaration of war from Germany and Austria-Hungary on Russia?
The implementation of the German Schlieffen Plan and further built on by the establishment of an Eastern Front.
What is the optimist line of thought about the war?
Neat and cogent.
What did military failures result in?
Economic pressures, which in turn had a negative impact on the daily lives of Russians on the Home Front.
Where did Russia experience terrible defeats?
Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes.
What were the total Russian casualties for the war?
8 million.
What did the Stavka blame the lack of military progression by the end of 1915 on?
The ‘shells crisis’. - shortage of artillery shells in 1915
What was the result of the great defeats in 1915?
Great Retreat which prompted NII to take the unprecedented step of taking personal control of the armed forces.
When did NII become commander in chief?
August 1915.
What did NII’s decision to leave the capital result in? Why?
A power vacuum, as the Tsarina was of German background and her relationship with Rasputin left the aristocracy alienated.
What failure occurred in 1916? What emerged?
The Brusilov Offensive and the emergence of attrition warfare.
What did the emergence of attrition warfare indicate?
The Tsar was not capable of bringing the conflict to a satisfactory end.
What was the total cost of WW1 for the Russians?
Approximately 3 billion roubles.
Government expenditure in ___ was ___ roubles.
Government expenditure in 1913 was about 1.5 billion roubles.
How did the Russians meet the cost of war?
Partly through borrowing (foreign loans, war bonds), increases in tax and printing more money.
How much had prices risen by 1917?
400%
How much did bread rationing fall in Petrograd?
By 25% in the first three months of 1916.
Why did NII decide to abdicate?
Pressure from military advisers, the Progressive Bloc in the Duma and friends and relatives.
What indicated that the tsar had been struggling for some time before the war?
The Duma had developed a progressive bloc before the war.
What created a distinct form of opposition? When could this be traced back to?
The rise of working classes as opposition against autocracy had gained momentum, which could be traced back to Witte’s great spurt.
When did WW1 outbreak? When did Russia join?
War broke out in June 1914
Russian joined Aug 1914
When were the Tannenberg Lakes? Was it a success or failure? When was the Brusilov offensive? Was it a success or failure?
Tannenburg Lakes 1914 - failure
Brusilov Offensive – 1916 – success – over 1mil Austrains killed
