War Flashcards
4 points
Give a summary of the Crimean War
- 1853-1856
- Russia fought Ottoman Turks, Britain and France.
- Russia was defeated, and lost 450,000 men.
- Treaty of Paris (1856) prohibited Russia from maintaining a Black Sea fleet and she had to remove all her naval fortifications on the coast of the Black Sea.
4 points
What were the consequences of the Crimean War?
- Exposed Russia’s lack of development, and convinced A2 to introduce a series of reforms to restore Russia’s power status.
- Social / Economic reforms: Emancipation of the Serfs in 1861, serfdom was blamed for depressed economy.
- Military reforms: Minister of War Milyutin sought to modernise Russian military. Improved training and reduced term of service to 15 years. Resulted in a more professional army.
- Reforms to Government: Introduction of the Zemstva to fill gap left by emancipation.
3 points
To what extent were the changes following the Crimean War solely due to the impact of the war?
There were other factors that led to reform, such as:
* Peasant revoluts and the memory of the Pugachev revolt (a leader of revolts during the time of Catherine the Great). “Better to abolish serfdom from above than to let it abolish itself from below.” - A2
* A2’s character - reform wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t been open to it. E.g. A3 never would have reformed.
It is likely that reform would have eventually happened anyway, but the Crimean War is the catalyst in it happening when it did, as it showed A2 he needed to reform to catch up with others.
3 points
How significant were the changes which followed the Crimean War?
- Emancipation V. significant on personal level, more rights for peasants and increased ability to have an effective workforce.
- BUT: Zemstvo does not change much at all.
- Fundamentals of peasant life stay largely the same.
3
Give a summary of the Russo-Turkish war
- 1877-1878
- Russia and Turkey fight for dominance in the Balkans.
- Conress of Berlin (1878) recognises Russia’s territorial gains in the Caucuses.
What were the consequences of the Russo-Turkish war?
- Helped strengthen standing of the Tsar.
- Military performed better, confirming success of Milyutin’s reforms.
3 points
Give a summary of the Russo-Japanese war
- 1904-1905
- Russia defeated by Japan in a strugle for dominance in Manchuria and Korea.
- Treaty of Portsmouth (1905) forces Russia to give up its control of Korea and influence in Manchuria.
3 points
What were the consequences of the Russo-Japanese war?
- Revolution - Defeat contributed to outbreak of revolution in 1905.
- Political reform - Defeat shook confidence in Tsar’s regime, contributed to October Manifesto and creation of Duma.
- Economic consequences - Highlighted weaknesses in Russia’s infrastructure; produced more investement in railways and industry, which heightened social tensions.
5 points
To what extent were the changes following the Russo-Japanese war soley due to the impact of that war?
1905 revolution - no.
* Revolution started by Bloody Sunday (peasants marching on the capitol demanding change), not the war.
* Land hunger was driving the peasants’ unhappiness, not the war.
* One of the most embarassing failures of Russia during the war, the humiliating defeat in the Battle of Tsushima, happened AFTER the revolution had already started.
* Therefore all the consequences of the revolution also can’t be accredited to the war.
2 points
Give a summary of the First World War
- Russia, in alliance with Britain and France, fought Germany and Austria.
- Resulted in military and economic disaster, and ultimately revolution.
2 points
What were the consequences of the First World War?
- Social and Economic Consequences: Rampant inflation, food shortages and loss of life produced high levels of dicontent, and ultimately revolution.
- Political Consequences: Military defeats contributed to a collapse in confidence in the Tsar, eventually leading to his abdication. Failure of the Provisional Government to master the problems associated with the war led to October Revolution.
4 points
What evidence is there that Tsarism was falling befor the war broke out?
- Tensions created by rapidly industrialising society - rapid urbanisation, growing industrial working class that were increasingly discontented.
- Unresolved problems in agriculture - Stolypin reforms largely stalled.
- Growing educated middle class - critical of autocracy.
- Autocratic system not moving - N2 not open to change, leading to more tensions growing and no solutions being found. Duma could have tried to find solutions, but N2 kept limiting their power.
What evidence is there that Tsarism could have survived had it not been for the First World War?
- Before the war there was not a large scale of discontent against the Tsar, despite the country’s problems.
- In 1923 the Romanov Dynasty went on tour for its 300th anniversary - no fear of assassination.
- In 1913 countryside is a relatively stable place - only 128 peasant uprisings in 1913 compared to the thousands in years before.
- N2 was the problem due to his lack of desire to reform, if a successor had taken the throne things could have turned out differently.
7 points
How significant were the changes brought about as a consequence of the First World War?
- Causes collapse of two political systems and 2 massive revolutions.
- Causes collapse of Tsarism.
- Causes failure of the PG and consequential Bolshevik rise.
- Complete crash of economy - food, fuel shortages, inflation.
- Nationalisation of industry, adopted by state control.
- Decree on land - by the end of 1917, peasants seize the land.
- Brest-Litovsk - big areas of land lost, Finland gains independence and keeps it, Balitc states given independece but loose it in 1939.
3 points
Give a summary of the Russian Civil War
- 1918-1921
- Bolsheviks fought a bloody war of survival against the whites (Mensheviks) and their foreign allies.
- Bolsheviks won.
