The political problems of Tsardom in wartime Flashcards
Military Issues → Soldiers
gov was able to mobilise 15mil soldiers 1914-1917
however, unable to provide suitable weaponry + basic warm clothes
1914 - infantry only had 2 rifles for every 3 soldiers
1915 - artillery limited to 2-3 shells per day
soldiers had to rely on the weapons of fallen soldiers infront
Military Issues → early success
R gained early success against Austro-Hungarians
however, not the same with the Germans
1914 - defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg
1915 - forced out of Poland
Military Issues → leadership
quality of leadership was poor
officers appointed due to loyalty + had little military expertise
morale of soldiers hit hard by the incompetence of their officers
tens of thousands deserted
Military Issues → overall
(success + production)
R effort not as disastrous as portrayed
soldiers won considerable success against Austrians
1916 - matched German shell production + 100% growth in artillery output
contributed significantly to allied victory by mounting attacks on the Eastern Front to reduce pressure from the Western Front
Political Issues → decision to go to war
Tsar’s decision to go to war in 1914 was popular + supported by a wave of anti-german sentiment
strike activity ceased, extremists were imprisoned, Duma dissolved
Political Issues → wartime policies
1914 = military zones set up where civilian authority suspened
opposed by liberal Z who regarded gov as insensitive to ppls needs
prohibition of alcohol = resented + evaded
peasants regarded vodka as essential so distilled their own = gov lost out on valuable tax
Political Issues → organisations
Z = provided medical facilities that the state neglected
1915 = Z+D join to from Zemgor, chaired by Prince Lvov
1915 = factory owners + Biz men organised into a progressive block + demanded Tsar establish a constitutional monarchy
Tsar responded by suspending the Duma (closed til Jan 1917)
Political Issues → Tsar leading the army
)30 August 1915)
30 August 1915 → Tsar leading the army at the front = very bad decision + serious consequences
very far away from Petrograd
1) Tsar personally responsible for the conduct of war (no blaming officers)
2) Tsarina left in charge
Political Issues → Tsarina
Tsar’s absence created chronic instability
She was unable to rule → kept dismissing + appointing ministers
Her only ally was Rasputin = they become the focus of growing public anger + antagonism to the regime
She was hampered by her German birth → portrayed as a German spy
1916 = Prince Yusupov arranged the murder of Rasputin in an attempt to save autocracy but the damage had been done → support for regime disintegrating
Economic Issues → food
R economy strained by war → exposed its structural weakness
centre of RW system collapsed in Moscow → food + supplies couldn’t go anywhere + factories starved of raw materials
lack of grain → inflation
1914-1916 = food + fuel prices quadrupled but wages only doubled
300% increase in the cost of living
Petrograd hit harder as it was remote from food-producing areas
1916 = only receiving 1/3 of food + fuel it required = major source of anger
Economic Issues → production + trade vs. rearmament
rural + industrial production slumped despite women + kids taking the places of men
naval blockades of the Baltic + Black sea ports + loss of overland routes to Europe brought R trade to a standstill
1916 = rearmament = matched German shell production + 100% growth in artillery output = expense of civilian needs
Economic Issues → strikes
influx of refugees from German-occupied areas → Overcrowding
1915 = Strikes increased in number, frequency + militancy
Jan 1917 = 150,000 workers on strike in Petrograd on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday
