The impact of the First World War

Question 1

On the eve of the First World War Russia’s army was…

Answer 1

superficially impressive - however, at a deeper level, it had serious weaknesses.

Question 2

The Russian army was the…in Europe.

Answer 2

largest

Question 3

How many soldiers and reservists were there in the Russian army at the start of WWI?

Answer 3

1.4 million soldiers and 3 million reservists.

Question 4

What were the 1908 military reforms?

Answer 4

Based on a comprehensive ten-year programme to modernise the army, including the introduction of military aircraft.

Question 5

Who was the Minister of War in 1913?

Answer 5

Vladimir Sukhomlinov.

Question 6

What did Vladimir Sukhomlinov, the Minister of War, adopt in 1913?

Answer 6

The ‘Grand Plan’ - a response to increased tensions in the Balkans - it proposed an offensive strategy in order to secure Russia’s western borders.

Question 7

What were the long term problems with the army?

Answer 7

1 - Incompetent generals who had senior positions due to their family connections, not their ability to lead
2- Russian soldiers were the least educated of any European army
3 - Russian industry was still undeveloped relative to other European nations, therefore Russian arms production was comparatively inefficient
- Additionally, military reform wasn’t entirely effective.

Question 8

Why wasn’t military reform entirely effective?

Answer 8

• Modernisation plans were designed to ensure the army was ready for war in 1917; therefore, the army was not ready for the outbreak of war in 1914
• The Tsar authorised a massive programme of naval expansion in 1907 which took up a large part of the military budget. However, as Russia faced no major threats from other naval powers this did almost nothing to defend the nation.

Question 9

How did the First World War expose the weaknesses of the Russian army?

Answer 9

• Initial victories were short-lived
• Russian defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg led to the ‘Great Retreat’ of 1915
• Attempts to regain the initiative through the ‘Brusilov Offensive’ of 1916 also ended in failure

Question 10

How many times did the capital city of Russia change its name between 1894 and 1924?

Answer 10

3 - St Petersburgs, Petrograd, Leningrad.

Question 11

What economic problems did Russia face due to the First World War?

Answer 11

• Inflation

- Food shortages

Question 12

Why was inflation, as a result of the First World War, a problem?

Answer 12

• It had a major impact on food prices
• By 1917, inflation had reached 200%
• Food prices went up even faster
• The price of flour, for example, rose by 500%
• By January 1917 Petrograd was receiving only 48% of its total grain requirements
• The army was also forced to reduced rations from 4,000 to 2,000 calories a day

Question 13

Why did urbanisation occur as a result of WWI?

Answer 13

• The growth of the war economy meant more workers were employed in factories in the cities
• Between 1914 and 1917, Petrograd’s population rose from 2.1 million to 2.7 million

Question 14

Explain the munitions crisis during WWI?

Answer 14

• Russia’s military planners had assumed that modern wars would be relatively short
• Therefore the army had not stockpiled enough weapons to keep fighting
• Russian industry also lacked the capacity to produce sufficient quantities of munitions
• By mid-1915 the munitions crisis was so bad that Russian artillery units were limited to 3 shells per day

Question 15

When did Russia experience severe shortages of munitions?

Answer 15

In the spring of 1915, which led to military setbacks.

Question 16

What was the transport crisis during WWI?

Answer 16

• Russia’s transport networks struggled to cope with the need to transport troops, munitions and food
• This exacerbated food shortages in the cities and munitions shortages on the front line