WW1

Question 1

Using 3 examples, describe how Russia did in WW1.

Answer 1

• Gumbinnen: was expected to be really strong due to its huge army, known as ‘the Russian steamroller’
• Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes: had 1 million casualties by the end of 1914 and started to constantly face defeat by the end of 1916

Question 2

Give 6 causes for Russia’s defeat in WW1.

Answer 2

• Poor leadership ( the Tsar took over from September 1915 although he had no military experience, and the generals had poor characters and often competed against each other)
• Not enough equipment (2 to 3 men shared a rifle, and there was a lack of medical supplies and winter clothing)
• There were not enough steelworks, explosives factories and shipyards to make supplies
• Due to poor roads and railways, supplies couldn’t reach the frontlines
• They used outdated telegraph systems that caused military orders to be lost, and wireless messages were intercepted by the Germans
• Outdated tactics were used (e.g. cavalry against machine guns)

Question 3

What military effects did defeat have?

Answer 3

• Desertions increased
• People protested against conscription

Question 4

What economic effects did defeat have?

Answer 4

• Less men were available to work (14 million were called up from 1914 to 1917)
• Inflation increased (there were 7 rises from 1913 to 1917), but wages stayed the same
• Factories closed, causing unemployment
• Workers were asked to work longer hours

Question 5

What social effects did defeat have?

Answer 5

• Freezing to death; during fuel shortages, the temperatures went below -30°C in St Petersburg
• People blamed the Tsar for losses and no longer thought of him as caring
• Starvation; whatever little food was produced couldn’t be transported due to the poor infrastructure

Question 6

What political effects did the Tsar’s absence have?

Answer 6

• Tsarina Alexandra was left in charge
• She was German, and therefore accused of being a German spy
• She only took advice from Rasputin, so he practically ran the country
• He replaced ministers with his own friends so often that the government became unstable

Question 7

How was Rasputin dealt with?

Answer 7

Prince Yusupov murdered him in December 1916