The Impact of War + Revolution in Russia

Question 1

What were the dates of the Crimean War?

Answer 1

1853-56

Question 2

What were the long-term causes of the Crimean War?

Answer 2

The Eastern Question - who would have sphere of influence in Balkans (formerly Ottoman)

Age of nationalism + hard to define spheres of influence of great powers at time (UK, France, Austria, Russia, Prussia)

Russia concerned with potentially hostile states expanding near border

Wanted access to Mediterranean + to expand + increase influence (inc. Middle East)

Question 3

What were the short-term causes of the Crimean War?

Answer 3

Religious arguments with the Ottomans + France over who should be major Christian power/protector in Holy Land

Culminated in Nicholas I sending troops into Wallachia + Moldova. Asked to remove by Britain, France, + Turkey but refused.

Then tried to back-track but too late! Seige of Sevastopol began (by UK + France)

The fact he tried to backtrack shows knew wasn’t socially/economically ready for conflict.

Question 4

What were the main events of the Crimean war?

Answer 4

• 1853: Russian destruction of Turkish fleet at Sinope - 4000 Turkish deaths. Protest from Britain and France.
• March 1854: Britain and France declare war on Russia due to failure to meet and ultimatum to leave Moldavia + Wallachia.
• August 1854: Worried that Austria might join war against them, Russians pull out of principalities. However, Britain wanted to prolong war to force Black Sea access rights
• Sept 1854: Britain + France invade Crimea. In some of the following battles e.g. Alma, Russians lost 6000 troops + guns captured dated back to 1799!
• Feb 1855: Nicholas dies + replaced by Alexander II. The Siege of Sevastopol continued to Sept 1855 - Russian losses at 2000-3000 a day! War petered out + by March 1856 renewed Austrian threats to join saw Russian surrender.

Question 5

What were the military successes of the Crimean war?

Answer 5

Wiped out Turkish fleet at Sinope 1853 (killed 4000)

Question 6

What were the military failures of the Crimean war?

Answer 6

Guns captured dated back to 1799

450,000 casualties - highest of all (Turkey 150,00, UK 22,000)

2000-3000 losses per day during Seige of Sevastopol

Question 7

What was the political impact of the Crimean war?

Answer 7

Salvophiles questioned Russia’s greatness

Pesuaded them that needed to Westernise as defeated by Western superiority - hence Emancipation

Shift from policy of expansionism to one of wishing to consolidate existing power

Harsh terms of Treaty of Paris could suggest Russia still posed threat

However… this could still have made slavophiles agree to reform as would lead to being even greater power

Question 8

What were the social impacts of the Crimean war?

Answer 8

Most casualties of all belgerants - 450,000

Only 1/5 in battle, most of disease

Provided reason for emancipation

Also fears of opposition (peasant rioting) and serfdom abolishing itself ‘from below’

Question 9

What impact did the Crimean war have on nationalities/the minorities?

Answer 9

Russia had to give up claim as protector of Moldavia + Wallachia

Had to give up chunk of Bessarabia to Moldavia

Also no longer ‘protector’ of Christians in Holy Land

Question 10

What were the economic impacts of the Crimean war?

Answer 10

Decreased presence in Black Sea -

Prohibited from maintaining a fleet in the Black Sea and to remove all naval fortifications along the Black Sea coastline

Question 11

What other factors might have been more imortant than the Crimean war in causing change?

Answer 11

Fears of peasant opposition abolishing serfdom ‘from below’

Alexander II educated with Western ideas so knew Russia + econ backwards

Question 12

When was the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 12

1877-78

Question 13

What were the causes of the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 13

Loss of the Crimean war

Continuing Russian ambitions to dominate the area.

Immediate cause was massacre of Christian Orthodox rebels by Turkish forces in the Balkans. Strong nationalist and Pan Slav feelings.

Question 14

What were the military successes of the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 14

New engineer section + navy successful

Attack on 2 fronts (Caucasus + Balkans) successful

Won!

Question 15

What were the military failures of the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 15

Despite successes suffered heavy casualties

Should’ve been easier victory

Successes overturned by Congress of Berlin…

Question 16

What was the political impact of the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 16

Congress of Berlin overturned more favourable Treaty of San Stefano (Russia agreed as didn’t want to aggrovate other powers)

Nationalists disappointed by concessions to Austria + UK - Bosnia + Cyprus

HOWEVER little reform as mostly viewed positively - short war + won so pro-Tsar

Question 17

What was the economic impact of the Russo-Turkish war?

Answer 17

Turkey paid war indeminty to Russia

Ended Free Trade Era as spent too much

Question 18

What impact did the Russo-Turkish war have on nationalities/the minorities?

Answer 18

Regained South Bessarabia

Territorial gains in Caucasus

Question 19

When was the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 19

1904-5

Question 20

What were the causes of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 20

In late 1800’s Russia desired increased influence in Far East- colonial spread into crumbling Chinese Empire

Japan had taken Port Arthur in Manchuria, a warm sea port. Russia had forced Japan to hand it over and took control of the area, promising to leave in 1903.

Negotiations failed and Japan attacked, without warning in January 1904.

Russia was expected to win with ease, expansion against an inferior race.

Russia also wanted war to deflect attention from domestic econ + political issues

Question 21

What were the military successes of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 21

There weren’t any

Question 22

What were the military failures of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 22

Outnumbered + badly beated in Yalu

Navy couldn’t break out of blockade at Port Arthur and it fell in Jan 1905.

Naval forces were defeated at Tsushima in May 1905 after 18,000 mile journey. Emphasized Japanese tech. superiority

1905 defeat at Mukden - final straw that led to signing of peace treaty

Question 23

What was the political impact of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 23

1905 revolution as coincided with year of inflation, shortages, + growing dicontent

Blood Sunday protests - shattered ‘Little Father’ image

1905 October Manifesto - Duma.
Wouldn’t have happened without war as Nick II staunchly ‘Autocacy, Orthodoxy, and Nationality’ + diminishing of powers swiftly showed unwillingness to embrace democracy

Question 24

What was the social impact of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 24

1905 revolution due to inflation, shortages, + growing discontent

Bloody Sunday

Increasing urbanisation at the time also led to worse living conditions. Stolypin’s reforms (VLS + ‘Wager on the Strong’) implimented

Question 25

What was the economic impact of the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 25

Further investment into tech + industry - beaten by technologically superior Japanese

Investment in transport- incomplete Trans-Siberian railway hadn’t helped communications + mobilisation issues

Investment in industry led to increased urbanisation and thus poorer conditions… necessitating more reforms which didn’t appear!

Stolypin’s reforms to ease inflation, shortages, etc.

Question 26

What other factors may have been more important in causing change other than the Russo-Japanese war?

Answer 26

Inflation, shortages, poor conditions due to increasing urbanisation. Led to 1905 revolution

General economic backwardness + desire to catch up with the West

Issue of land distribution!

(coupled with failures in war - known about due to increased media coverage)

Question 27

When did the First World War occur?

Answer 27

1914-18

Question 28

What were the causes of WW1?

Answer 28

The Eastern Question

Unification of Germany disrupted balance of power. They desired independant glory

Triple Entente/ Alliances!

Serbs assassinate Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand

Question 29

What were the military successes of WW1?

Answer 29

Aug + Sept 1914 - initially successful in Prussia

Feb 1916: Took Ezerum from Ottomans

1916: Brusilov Offensive initially successful

Question 30

What were the military failures of WW1?

Answer 30

1914: Bad defeats at Tannenburg + Masurian Lakes in Prussia (after initial success)
1915: Nick II takes charge. Initially halted retreat but then had to abandon Vilna
1916: Brusilov Offensive fails + so fails to stop domestic discontent
1917: June/Kerensky Offensive fails

Aug 1917: Withdrew from strategically important Riga

Dec 1917: Brest-Litovsk talks result in signing of treaty. Trosky called it a ‘diktat’

Question 31

What were the political impacts of WW1?

Answer 31

Political crisis following Tsar’s decision to lead the war personally in 1915 and with Rasputin’s influence at home

Strikes and inflation hit the cities in the winter of 1916-17 leading to demonstrations and revolution in February 1917, the Tsar abdicated. Democratic revolution

Prov Gov chose to continue war (initially popular) but this helped to raise support for the Bolsheviks by end of 1917 + helped discredit them

Lenin signed away huge amounts of land in Treaty of Brest-Litovsk including the Baltic States, parts of Ukraine and Poland. Caused opposition + humiliation

Question 32

What were the social impacts of WW1?

Answer 32

1.7 millions died

2. 4 million captured
3. 9 million injured

Social disintegration, peasant land seizures

Change in ideology (twice!)

Investment in military to meet military demands meant full employment + higher wages (however offset by massive inflation + shortages)

Question 33

What were the economic impacts of WW1?

Answer 33

Huge economic damage, 400% inflation from start of war

Total cost of war 3bn roubles - 1913 spending 1.5bn roubles

Cost of war met by increasing taxes, foreign borrowing, War Bonds, printing more money

Question 34

What impact did WW1 have on the nationalities/minorities?

Answer 34

Wilson’s 14pts - right to self-determination for new states - Poland + Baltics

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

Question 35

What causes of change may have been more important than WW1?

Answer 35

Other countries also severely hit by the war, perhaps real problem was long-term failings in Russian development more than the war itself. In other words some kind of change would have occurred with or without the war

Opposition already existed (Progreesive Bloc + dissolutions of Duma)

War wasn’t only reason for Bolshevik success - Lenin’s leadership, Kerensky’s decision making, Kornilov coup, economy

Question 36

Why could it be argued that the Feb. rev. wasn’t as imporant as the October revolution?

Answer 36

Change not consolidated - little long-term impact