The Crimean War

Question 1

Who was Nicolas I?

Answer 1

• autocratic leader at the start of the war in 1854
• became tsar in 1825 after his brother renounced his claim to the throne
• Decembrist Rebellion attempted to assassinate him
• intolerant of minorities like Jews
• confident of an easy victory

Question 2

Why was Russia involved in the war?

Answer 2

• The Crimea is a long disputed peninsula within the Black Sea and lay near Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
• in 1800s, Russia held the port at Sebastopol which gave them control over Black Sea and trade across Mediterranean
• On the other side of the Mediterranean was the Ottoman Empire (Muslim-majority) and when the Sultan struggled to control Christians in European colonies, the Tsar seized the opportunity to extend his influence into Moldova
• He sent troops in June 1853 and shortly after they declared war

Question 3

What happened in the Crimean War?

Answer 3

1. Russian empire sank an Ottoman fleet at Sinope in 1853
2. Britain, France and the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia enter the war to protect Ottomans trade interests. Their part meant that russia was faced with better military technology
3. Ottoman forces launched a 60000 strong attack on Russian naval base in Sebastopol
4. Allied forces beat the Russians in Balaclava in October 1854 and Inkerman in November 1854
5. After the fall of Sebastopol more nations began to side with allies and Russia was forced to sign Treaty of France on 30th March 1856

Question 4

Who was Alexander II?

Answer 4

• became tsar in 1855 at the age of 37
• well-educated and well traveled
• inherited many problems
• maintained autocracy
• saw the issues with the country

Question 5

Why did Russia lose - Army?

Answer 5

• joining army was not optional and serfs were conscripted for 25 years and within the war millions were forced to join the forces
• many were inexperienced, poorly trained and ill-equipped
• strict discipline to keep in order - severe beatings
• Officers could buy themselves out of the service so the bulk was made up of demoralised serfs so uprisings were common - didn’t want to fight for their country

Question 6

Why did Russia lose - Weapons?

Answer 6

• Most of fighting was done on horseback or using cannons
• Some historians refer to it as the first ‘modern war’ ad Britain and France has access to modern technology- including long range cannons
• in comparison the Russian army has antiquated weapons that could not compete - some cannons were nearly 50 years old
• manufacturing factories were staffed by serfs using outdated machines and couldn’t produce things (weapons or ammunition) quick enough

Question 7

Why did Russia lose - Supply lines?

Answer 7

• agricultural backwardness (serfs) meant food shortages were common
• serf conscription meant that they weren’t working on the land and farming the food
• vast geography of Russia and lack of transport infrastructure meant that it was difficult to transport goods

Question 8

Why did Russia lose - Medicine?

Answer 8

• British field hospitals near the front line had anaesthetic to treat wounds quickly
• In contrast Russian troops had a poor survival rate and many died of illness rather than fighting such as cholera. This further demoralised soldiers

Question 9

Why did Russia lose - Modern communication?

Answer 9

• Britain and France were able to build newly invented railways quickly to move soldiers and supplies to the front line
• Russia had a very limited railway network and getting the right equipment to the right place at the right time was hard
• Britain and France also had incredibly fast ways of communicating messages between leaders but Russia still relied on written messages