War and Revolution (1914-1917) Flashcards
Who’s assassination was the catalyst for WW1?
Grand Duke Franz Ferdinand
Which Balkan nation was Russia supporting that led it to being drawn into the war?
Serbia
Why was the Russian army popularly described as the ‘Russia steamroller’?
The large population of Russia meant that Russia can continually provide troops for the war effort. This ‘steamroller’ theoretically meant that the Russia could overwhelm their enemy through sheer numbers.
When was the immediate reaction in Russia to WW1? What was its impact?
The declaration of war caused an immediate outpouring of nationalism, which led to popular expression of goodwill towards the Tsar.
- Strikes and worker militancy went into dramatic decline
- Barricades in major cities came down overnight.
- Revolutionaries against the war, such as Lenin, were seen as traitors.
- Many European socialists set aside their internationalist leaning and supported their own nation’s war efforts.
As a result of this outpour of nationalism, St Petersburg, which sounded to German, was renamed to Petrograd.
Who was Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armed forces?
Grand Duke Nikolai
Describe the limitations of the Great Military Program.
- Russia initially mobilized the largest army in Europe, as 6.5 million, but only had 4.6 million rifles.
- Soldiers without guns were instructed to take rifles from wounded or dead comrades.
- There was no coordinated collection or redistribution of rifles recovered from the field.
- The army was short on the recommended number of cartridges by a billion
- Canvas boots issued to the first call up of conscripts were acceptable for a summer campaign, but not suited for a winter campaign or trench warfare.
What were the typical characteristics of many Russian generals?
- Interpersonal rivalry
- Ignorance of modern military tactics
- Limited tactical initiative
Using statistics, outline the significant losses Russia suffered in the battles of Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes.
Tannenburg
- In 4 days, 70,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded and 100,000 were captured
- German captured 350 heavy artillery guns.
- The Germans suffered 15,000
Masurian Lakes
- Russian suffered 60,000men before a retreat was called
How did the Brusilov Offensive differ from other campaign?
- Aleksei Brusilov was one of the very few genuinely talented generals in the Russia army, known for his original thinking, preparedness, and commitment to decisive action.
- German High Command realized that Russia would not be defeated any time soon and concentrated their efforts towards the Western front. This gave Russia time to recuperate and replenished artillery stocks and equip every soldier with a rifle.
How did the railways contribute to rising revolutionary tensions in WW1?
- Russia’s railway system was unable to cope with the demands of both military mobilization and the needs of the civilian population.
- In 1916, Petrograd and Moscow were receiving a third of their usual fuel food supplies.
- Many of Russia’s railways were single tracks, meaning if 1 train broke down, the whole line would stop. Poor administration resulted in old-ups, and food rotted in held up train carts. Idle carts would tipped off the tracks to make way for incoming trains.
- The breakdown of railways also resulted in lack of fuel in the major cities, winters were bitterly cold for ordinary people
How did bread contribute to rising revolutionary tensions in WW1?
- Due to the breakdown of transportation nd food shortages, lining up for hours for dietary staples such as bread became common place.
- A third of bakeries and two thirds of butchers in Moscow and Petrograd; by 1916, the calorie intake of unskilled workers dropped to a quarter and infant mortality doubled.
How did inflation contribute to rising revolutionary tensions in WW1?
- August 1914, Tsar Nicholas banned the production of vodka for the duration of war, which he decided without consulting the Minister of Finance. Tax from vodka made up 28 percent of of the Russian government’s revenue.
- Russia took out foreign loans, which grew from 4 million roubles in 1913 to 30 million roubles in 1916. Between 1914 to 1917, Russia spent over 1.5 billion on the war.
- To meet the their government short-term financial needs, the government abandoned the gold standard and started printing paper money. This resulted in a inflated government, by 1917, the rouble could only by 30% of what it could buy in 1913.
- Shortages increased the prices of consumer goods. On average, wages rose by half but food prices increased by fourfold. The average real worth of wages fell 65% compared to what it could by 1913.
- This decreased the living standards of common people, and dissatisfaction with the government grew.
How did agriculture contribute to rising revolutionary tensions in WW1?
- The Russian army was essentially ‘peasants in uniform’. This greatly reduced the capacity of the agricultural sector.
- The armed forces requisitioned millions of horses for the war effort.
- In a attempt to maintain adequate grain supply, the tsarist government fixed the grain price, and introduced a state monopoly on purchases for the army.
- Because their was little incentive to receive payment via cash, and the crisis of supply became of grain production, as peasants would deliberately withhold grain from the market, instead feeding it to their animals or distilling into alcohol.
- By the end of 1916, there were acute food shortages in cities and also on the front. These issues were blamed on the government.
What was Trotsky’s intention when he highlights the profiteering that occurred in WW1?
He highlighted the profiteering that occurred in WW1 to bring light to the immense wealth disparity between the rich and the working class. This growing social divide would lead to the radicalization of popular mood.
What were the aims of the War Industries Committee?
The War Industries Committee, which convened on 25 July 1915, was formed by progressive industrialists. They realized the the majority of war contracts were awarded to large Petrograd firms, who would charge excessive prices and were unable to fulfil all orders. On example that frustrated the committee was the shortage of shell supplies.
