Impacts of WW1

Question 1

What were the economic impacts of WW1 for the general Russian population?

Answer 1

• Inflation occurred after Nicholas banned Vodka - sales made up 28% of government revenue
• Peasants called to serve (15 million called to serve, mostly peasants) - lack of farmers and lack of food
• Wages increased by half, but price of goods increased by 4 fold
• Peasants withheld grain to feed themselves or distill illegal alcohol to sell
  1916 - government was blamed for shortages of food, people lined up for hours, starved, froze (lack of fuel)

Question 2

How did the human cost of WW1 impact the Russian population?

Answer 2

• Over 4 million soldiers dead, wounded or captured after a year
• This increased revolutionary attitudes, as people thought Russia’s commitment to war could not be sustained
• Late 1915, soldiers deserted the frontlines as they did not want to die
• General population blamed the tsar, morale low.

Question 3

Why were the Russian soldiers unequipped for war?

Answer 3

• 1/3rd of soldiers were sent to frontlines unarmed - had to wait for comrades to die or get injured and take their rifles
• Training received was of poor quality - of 1915, many officers had died in first months of war - no one to lead troops
• Did not have canvas boots for winter

Needed 100,000 new rifles per month, but factories could only make 46,000
- Government contracts were given to factories that ministers’ knew and were friends with, and that charged much more than usual
e.g Putilov steel factory charged 6x price to make bullets

Question 4

Statistics for hunger

Answer 4

1916 - Petrograd and Moscow received 1/3rd of usual food supplies - 1/3rd bakeries and 1/4th butchers closed due to shortages