Russia in WW1 Flashcards
How many men did Russia have in the army?
1.4m, 3m reserves
What happened after the Russo-Japanese war?
The Russian army was rearmed and modernised
How were the army generals chosen?
Through nepotism
What was the condition of the army?
Poor physical and educational conditions
What class were Russian conscripts and why was this significant?
Peasantry - identified strongly with their home district rather than Russia as a whole, less motivated to fight and surrendered quickly
How many rifles did Russia need a month and how many did they get?
Needed 100k a month, only got 27k
What was the Russian army known as?
Russian Steam Roller
What was the 1915 Great Retreat?
Russian army driven out of Poland, Lithuania and parts of Belorussia, 1m killed/wounded, 1m imprisoned
What was the 1915 munitions crisis?
Russia relied on its allies for the supply of munitions, they couldn’t keep up with the demand
What did the Gov create after the 1915 munitions crisis?
Special Committee for State Defence
What did the Special Committee for State Defence do?
Controlled armaments production and built new factories?
Were the Special Committee for State Defence successful?
1916 - supply of munitions increase significantly but the political damage was done - losses of 1915 blamed on the incompetence and mismanagement of the Tsarist Regime
What was the 1916 Brusilov Offensive?
Directed against Austria, halted as Germany came to defend Austria
What transport issues did Russia face in the war?
Trans-siberian railway was clogged by arms shipments
What traffic was prioritised?
Military traffic
What happened to trains carrying food shipments to cities?
Delayed and food rotted away
What happened as a result of food shortages?
Inflation, peasants began hoarding their grain, Germany occupied food areas within Russia
What happened to food and wages in Petrograd in 1914-17?
Wages doubled, flour increased x5, potatoes increase x7
What did Nicholas II do in August 1915?
Assumed overall command of the battlefront, played a ceremonial role
Who was in charge whilst Nicholas II was at the battlefront?
His wife Alexandra and Rasputin
What was Alexandra?
German princess
Who was Rasputin?
Siberian peasant who gained a reputation as a Starets
Why did Alexandra work with Rasputin?
She believed he could control her sons haemophilia
Why was the Tsarina disliked in Russia?
Ultra-conservative, fear that she was plotting for a German victory
What did Nicholas think of Rasputin?
“Our friends opinions are sometimes very strange”
Why did politicians not like Rasputin?
Complained about his influence in Government and over the Tsarina
Who did Rasputin have links with?
Shady financers
When was Rasputin murdered?
30th December 1916
Who murdered Rasputin?
Group of 5 conspirators including the Tsars Nephew and the husband of one of his nieces
What did the group of conspirators aim to do?
Purify and cleanse the monarchy
How and when did the conspirators first try to murder Rasputin?
December 29th 1916 - invited him to a lunch where they laced his food and wine with cyanide
What did the conspirators do after Rasputin survived the cyanide?
Shot him 3 times including once to his head and then dumped his body in the Little Nevka river.
What were the Tsarina and Rasputin accused of?
Mismanagement and corruption
What happened to the amount of ministers in 1915-16?
There were 3 different interior ministers, 3 different foreign ministers and 3 different ministers of justice
What happened to the Regime after the Tsarina was left in control?
Conservatives began to lose hope in the regime and began to criticise it.
