Russia in wartime Flashcards
What effect did WWI have in tsarist discontent in 1914?
1) Anti-German sentiment diminished revolutionary ideas
2) August 1914: Battle of Tannenburg – massive losses
What occurred in WWI in 1915?
1) The command centre was inefficient
2) Nicholas made himself Commander-in-Chief of the army, despite limited military
experience
3) Retreat from Russian Poland
What occurred in WWI in 1916?
1) March 1916: attack around Lake Naroch kills 100,000
2) Russian resources could not exploit a successful attack on the Austro-Hungarians
3) December 1916: 1.6 million Russian soldiers were dead; 3.9 million were dead
4) Desertions began
Why was Russia so bad in WWI?
1) Failed to secure a quick victory
2) Poor planning + leadership
3) Russia had not modernised enough
What was the Political impact of WW1?
1) A Progressive Bloc developed in the Duma to gain public support for the war
effort, which called for a constitutional monarchy in Sept 1915. Nicholas
responded by closing the Duma
2) Strikes were put down by force
3) Tsarina took over many functions of the government. She was unpopular due to
her German background and replaced incompetent politicians like Protopopov
replaced competent ones
What was the Economic impact of ww1?
1) 1917: inflation reached 200%
2) The Tsar decided to ban the sale and production of alcohol during WW1,
3) The army dominated transport needs, meaning the good harvests of 1914, 1915,
and 1916 couldn’t be transported to cities
How did the war affect Support for the tsar?
1) All classes were disillusioned by the way the government was running the war
2) As C-in-C, Nicholas was responsible for all military failures
3) Some nobility supported the Duma ‘Progressive Bloc’
In what ways was Russia not revolutionary by 1914?
1) Russian economy was performing well
2) Majority of strikes were about pay and working conditions
3) Limited village disturbances
4) Liberal parties were divided and weak
5) Labour movement remained quiet after 1905
6) Government repression had decimated revolutionary parties
In what ways was Russia revolutionary by 1914?
1) 1914: Bolshevik paper Pravda achieved a national circulation of 40,000 copies,
more than the Mensheviks
2) Bolshevik flags were used at strikes
3) The officer corps was resistant to the idea of being used to put down uprisings
4) Most strikes were considered political, and increased after 1912
5) Bolsheviks had gained control of large unions in Moscow and SP
What was the 1917 Revolution?
1) Winter 1916: frustration with unemployment, starvation and the war
2) February 1917: strikes in St. Petersburg over a reduction of bread rations
3) 27th February: the Duma sets up a provisional government, and the Petrograd
soviet meets for the first time
4) 28th February: Nicholas abdicates
5) March 14th: the Petrograd soviet issues Order No.1
