Russia Deck 2 Flashcards
By 1917, which parts of the Russian empire had been lost to Germany?
Russian Poland, Lithuania and most of Latvia.
What negative effect did action taken by the government regarding money have for Russian people?
They printed too much (too many rouble notes). This made paper money worth less - leading to inflation and increased cost ofl living.
How much money did the government spend on the war between 1914-1917?
Over 17,000 million roubles - this mean the government had to raise taxes and this hit ordinary people hard.
What effect did increased government spending have?
They increased spending by 8 times between 1913-1916 and this made Russia fall into huge debt as they had to borrow huge amounts of money from other countries.
What effect did the war have on food supplies?
In 1916, food shortages grew worse when the army took control of railways and roads and took large amounts of food to feed the army.
What effect did the army taking control of the railways have on the railway system?
The railway system virtually collapsed under the pressure of moving huge numbers of soldiers and the food supply to towns and cities suffered.
How did this impact on Petrograd in particular?
Petrograd was far from food-producing areas, so it struggled to cope with the many refugees who went there from other areas affected by the war.
How did this affect bread rations in Petrograd?
In January 1916, it was 1.2kg but by early 1917 it had fallen to 0.8kg - poorer people in Petrograd were starving.
How did the war affect grain supplies to Moscow?
Before 1914, 2,200 waggons of grain arrived per month. By 1917, this had fallen to fewer than 700 waggons.
In what ways did the war impact on the countryside as well?
Over 15 million peasant men fought in the war, causing a massive loss of manpower.Also, horses were taken by the army and chemical fertilisers were hard to get because the focus was on making explosives and weapons. All of these effects made food shortages worse.
Why was it a bad decision for the Tsar to make himself commander in chief of the army in September 1915?
For several reasons:Because he had no experience at commanding an army.He became the focus for all blame and bad feeling about the war.He left the Tsarina in charge and she wasn’t trusted because she was German and also being influenced by Rasputin.
How did the war make relations bad between the Tsar and the Duma?
Because the Tsar dissolved the Duma (sent the advisers away) to avoid any criticism of how the war was being run - but he had to recall them in 1915 because the war was going so badly. When they came back, the Tsar refused to agree to replace his advisers and ministers, which made the Duma even more angry (and also made even more blame be directed at the Tsar).
What did left-wing opposition to the Tsar want?
To challenge the power of the Tsar and the rich. Some supported sharing wealth and land amongst all. They wanted a revolution but some disagreed about when and how it would happen.
Describe why the quality of life was low for industrial workers in big Russian cities like Petrograd and Moscow in 1917. Give three reasons.
- Low pay, 2. Exploitation by employers, 3. No protection from e.g. unions, 4. Dangerous and filthy working conditions, 5. Overcrowded accommodation
Name at least one of the Tsar’s closest advisers (not Rasputin).
Stolypin, Rodzianko or Witte.
