WW1 and war post 1917 Flashcards
When was the russian revolution
1917
how did the cold war impact economy and society
- investment in nuclear arms race and space race
- neglect of living conditions which fell behind the west for most
how did the cold war impact culture
more closed off to western “capitalist” influences
how did the cold war impact the nature of government
- little direct influence on gov and infastructure
- Khruschev;s destalinisation policy could be seen as a reaction to the USA’s policy of containment as he tried to improve russia’s reputation
what impact did the russian revolution have 1917
put an end to a government by a regeime assosciated , via the duma, with russia’s autocratic past
would have led to dictatorship of the proletariat, but instead led eventually to dictatorship and totalitarianism under stalin
Although events appeared dramatic, revolution in conjuncture w WW1 and civil war did not result in major change to governance of russia
When was russia involved in WW1?
1914-1918
What is the optimist’s view about WW1?
-Russia was unable to cope with demands of the world’s first industrial war
-Russians suffered on the home front
-They pointed the blame to those that led them into conflict
Without the War, the tsar would have coped with the demands for constitutional reform and would gradually have quietened the critics.
When was the best chance of military success in WW1 and what dented the Russian army’s morale?
the start of the war
Defeats at Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes - soldiers fought well but were let down by poor strategy
Lost twice as many troops as the enemy
What were the russian casualties of WW1
~8 million
What was the “shells crisis” That commanders WW1’s lack of progress on in 1915
and what were the real reasons for a lack of progress
1)claimed Industry was struggling to keep up demands of the army
2)Military administrators were unable to cope w . logistical challenges of the war
-a lack of communication and transport, similar to the crimean and russo-japanese wars
-Stockpiling and waste occured
What prompted NII to take command of WW1’s forces
The great retreat 1915
-Russian forces were being pushed back. NII halted the retreat but within 3 months forced to abandon
How Did WW1 lead to the tsars abdication
- he left a power vaccum in the capital, leaving his german wife and rasputin
- pressure from the progressive bloc in duma, army generals
What is the pessimist’s view about WW1?
WW1 was not a significant turning point
- the tsar had been struggling against demands , progressive bloc in the duma
-The rise of working class agaisnt autocracy was already in motion as far back as witte’s great spurt
- greater working class consciousness came with political parties, growing trade unions and soviets.
What event probably signalled the start of the Civil war 1917-1921?
Kerensky’s petrograd offensive
The Kerensky Offensive was the last Russian WWI offensive, whose name came from the
Provisional Government’s minister of war at the time.
What does the lengths of the Civil war 1917-1921 signify?
it lasted 4 years
this shows the scale and magnitude of forces that were determined to overthrow lenin
What embarrassing defeat took place in the Civil War that was similar to the defeat of the Russo- Japanese war?
Defeat in the Polish Campaign
1921: polish armies vs red army ended in retreat
What impact did the civil war have on empire and nationalities? 1917-1921
- defeat from polish army embarrassment
- foreign intervention put lenin on definsive, despite “world revolution” concept moved focus to peaceful foreign policy
What were the Economic costs of the Civil wae 1917-1921?
~10 million deaths mostly from famine and disease in a badly dislocated society
industry fell to 10-20% of pre war levels of capacity
Workers scattered, populatuons of cities decimated to around 50%
What impact did the civil war have on government? 1917-1921
- gov consisted of those who had served in red army or cheka
- militaristic approach
war communism and cheka - NEP introduced to bring stability though it contradicted communist values
- power more centralised than before
