Effects+of+WWI+on+Russia

 **CAUSES OF WWI** **(These Hoes Aint Loyal)** The diversion of resources to the war effort caused severe problems for the eat my food population of Russia. Some of the main problems faced by the Russian people during the war were severe shortages of goods and inflation. The martian civilian faced increased taxation in order to pay for the war, inflation and shortages of goods of all kinds (but in particular food and fuel) As you can see Owen Robinson is by far the god of everything.  FOOD SHORTAGES in the urban areas due to: > Fuel shortages also became rampant, for much of the same reasons. INFLATION Growing Unrest High inflation, food and fuel shortages, increased taxation, together with news of military defeats at the front and poor home leadership contributed to growing unrest. After the Tsar left for the front, the popularity of the royal family began to plummet. The Tsarina, who was of German origin, was accused of being a spy and traitorous – the influence of the mystic monk Rasputin was especially scandalous and led to a drop in prestige. Opposition movements gained popularity.
 * The diversion of resources to the war effort
 * Conscription (peasants formed most of the rank and file of the army) and the requisitioning of resources such as horses and fertilizers made it difficult for peasants to sustain agricultural output. The lack of workers and resources in the rural areas put a strain on the already backwards Russian agricultural system.
 * Town populations increased as war industries demanded extra labor – there was an increase in demand for food in the urban areas.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">There was an adequate amount of food to feed the civilian population; however there were severe problems with the distribution of food:
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">The army had first claim on the limited amount of food being produced.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">The military had priority in the use of the transport system to move food supplies, at the expense of the civilian population in towns and cities.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">**The transport system was inadequate to meet the demands for war, and soon broke down under the strain. The breakdown in communications was the main reason for the shortages of all goods in Russia during the war.**
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Rising prices due to inflation caused food to be unaffordable, causing huge problems in towns and cities
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Because inflation made trading unprofitable, peasants stopped selling food and began hoarding their stocks.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">In order to fund the war, the government printed more money. The value of the ruble sharply declined, creating instability and high prices.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Shortages due to the breakdown in communications also caused a spike in prices.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">Figures
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">In Petrograd, the price of flour rose by 99% between 1913 and 1916, meat by 232%, butter by 124%, and salt by 483%.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">In broad terms, between 1914 and 1916 average earnings doubled while the price of food and fuel quadrupled.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> These factors led to the February Revolution of 1917 and the abdication of the Tsar.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colton, Kramer, Palmer, “A History of the Modern World” McGraw Holl, 10 ed., 2007 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Lynch “Reaction and Revolution : Russia 1894-1924” Hodder Murray, 3 ed., 2005 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Morris, Murphy, “Europe 1870-1991” Collins, 2 ed., 2004

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**MILITARY FACTORS:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **by Bugs Bunny**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">· <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Russia contributed less troops proportionally (8.8% of population mobilized) than Germany (20.5%), France (19.9%) or Britain (12.7%). This was not a problem of resources, but rather poor administration and organization. An effect of that were severe shortages, a responsibility of the tsar who did not appear as the leader Russia needed. This view was widely share and criticism of his military tactics followed. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Courier New; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">o <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was Nicolas’ II own fault because he formally took over the command of the Russia’s armed services. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">§ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another school of thought- He emerged as the leader of the Balkans, unifying his nation under the threat of war. This was an easier way to increase the Russians sense of identity than by Russification, which was not voluntary but expected. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">· <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Morale decreased visibly, worsened not only by the shortages or bad transport system but by bad news from the front. Despite the occasional victories, Russia emerged in the war as ill-equipped, with the soldiers under-fed. The morale was so low that there were Russian soldiers who began deserting their troops. This lack of unity in fighting against a common enemy presents poor leadership skills of Nicolas II. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Courier New; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">o <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This incapability to inspire the Russian population by the Tsar lead up to the February Revolution in 1917 that lead to the fall of tsardom not by revolutionary parties but by those parties who supported him in the war of 1914. He not only managed to turn Russians against the Tsar, but his supporters as well. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">§ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another school of thought- Nicolas II lead his backwards and only recently on the road of modernization nation proudly and appeared worse only when put into contrast with Western countries which had a longer time to develop their weaponry. He did the best he could in leading a country with a poor transport system, little war techniques and a fragmented society.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Colton, Kramer, Palmer, “A History of the Modern World” McGraw Holl, 10 ed., 2007 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Lynch “Reaction and Revolution : Russia 1894-1924” Hodder Murray, 3 ed., 2005

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**ECONOMICAL FACTORS:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **by That Guy from home alone**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It is true that at first, Russia was eager to join the war and the majority of citizens believed in protecting their homeland, “Mother Russia”. Nonetheless, the war brought disastrous consequences to the country economic situation. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Russia was not ready to fight the war, because it was still a <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//backwards// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> country. As it didn’t have the mean necessary to sustain the war’s pressure on its economy, it soon collapsed. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In fact, the vast part of the resources were reallocated in order to satisfy the needs of the army: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- A large amount of food was necessary to feed the soldiers; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Raw materials like metals were used mainly to produce weapons and requisitioning of horses and fertilizers was common; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Means of communication like railways were needed to transport the army from one part of the country to another; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Young men had to join the army mandatorily. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These war needs had a huge impact on the general economy. This is in large part related to the fact that the Tsar decided to fight with his soldiers and left the administration of the country in the hands of his wife, the tsarina Alexandra, and Rasputin: they dismissed all able ministers and hired friends and toadies who were not able to run the empire properly. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> All these causes led to the economic ordeal Russia had to deal with: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Food was considered to be “virtually unobtainable”; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- The lack of fuel and the early loss of Polish coalfields meant that Russians were not only hungry, but also cold; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Hundreds of factories closed and thousands were put out of work, because raw materials were unobtainable as well; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- The peasants had difficulty sustaining agricultural output; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Means of communication were useless because monopolized by the army: all the food produced for civilian population was unable to reach the urban areas; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- Because of the scarcity of primary goods, price rocketed and inflation was rampant: money became less and less useful, with the consequence that the cost of living went up by 300 percent; <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- There was a lack of labor due to the fact that all young men were subdued to conscription.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Lynch book, pages 60-66 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Europe book, pages 207-208 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Communism book, pages 13-14

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**AFTER WWI**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> **by Kasia Budzen**

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">· <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When Lenin took power, his Bolshevik party wanted peace with Germany for two reasons: win over the population’s favor and because they viewed the war as a war between capitalist nations that should be left to destroy themselves to the benefit of socialism. In 1917, a peace conference took place between Bolsheviks and Germany at Brest-Litovsk where Germany signed a treaty granting independence to Poland, Ukraine, Finland and the Baltic Provinces. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">§ <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another school of thought- Germany backed the Baltic countries that proclaimed independence and since Russia for many reasons could not fight for them it was forced to sign the treaty. So the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was not only a peace treaty between Russia and Germany but a hand-over of Baltic countries from Russia to Germany. For that reason, the treaty represented the success of Germany and the neutralization of Russia because it no longer represented a threat to Germany which could now shift its forces from east to west.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colton, Kramer, Palmer, “A History of the Modern World” McGraw Holl, 10 ed., 2007 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Lynch “Reaction and Revolution : Russia 1894-1924” Hodder Murray, 3 ed., 2005

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 18pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Political Factors:** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The Duma: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -A governement organization formed by Alexander II <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -During the war <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -previous political members were dissatisfied by tsarist control of the military during WWI. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -In 1915 they were re-established <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -was less effective than the original <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - 1917 revolution <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -duma officials dissmised tsar appointed officials and changed the ` government to a provincial government. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -a provincial government is basically a local government <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -Abdication of the Tsar March 15, 1917 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - was forced by the 1917 revolution <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -The distrust of the tsar started even before the revolution in 1917 as far back as 1905. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Alexander II actions during the war led to discontent with the people <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">- see military <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For other reasons for Tsars abdication see: <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -economic factors <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> -social factors. What led up to the downfall of the Tsar? Overall 1. -Tsarist Russia was a huge country with a diverse population, making it a very difficult country to govern. 2. -In 1900, and overwhelming majority of the population were peasants. 3. -Russia was an autocracy, ruled by a tsar who was at the head of a vast, unresponsive and inefficient bureaucracy. 4. -The tsars used repressive measures to keep control but despite this a number of opposition parties developed. 5. -The last tsar, Nicholas II, was an ineffective and weak leader, unable to cope with the pressures of modernizing Russia whilst trying to retain autocratic institutions. 6. -The task of modernizing Russia was one that even the most able leader would have found difficult. 7. -Nicolas received a warning in 1905 when the revolution broke out all over Russia. He survived the 1905 revolution by making concessions but was unwilling to make the -move to a more democratic, representative form of government. 8. -The first world war put the Tsar and his regime under tremendous pressure and in February 1917 it collapsed. TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM :Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin, 2002, page 23

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">-Marta Dziedzic

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Colton, Kramer, Palmer, “A History of the Modern World” McGraw Holl, 10 ed., 2007 <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sources from wikipedia, pages tsar alexander II and russian revolution of 1917

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Page edited by: Marta Dziedzic

How WWI contributed to the downfall of the Tsar [book notes] by Kasia Budzen 1. Downfall of the tsar (February 1917) a. Two schools of thought: i. Russia was beginning to make changes which suggested the Tsar would make concessions to the parliamentary government soon. ii. The benefits had not filtered down to the working class who remained as discontent as in 1914. The regime was unable to adapt to changing conditions and would have fallen even without WWI. However, they believe the war accelerated change. 2. Impact of WWI to the Tsar’s downfall a. Military failures i. Heavy defeats led to disillusionment and anger about the way the Tsar and the government were conducting the war (losing a war is always bad for those in power). ii. When the Tsar went to the front to take personal charge, he become responsible for the defeats. b. Difficult living conditions i. War caused acute distress in big cities. ii. Short supply of food and goods in general. iii. Hundreds of factories closed and workers were put off iv. Price rocketed and inflation was bad v. Urban workers became very hostile to the government c. Tsarina and Rasputin i. Leaving them behind was a very bad mistake of the Tsar as they made a terrible mess of running the country. ii. Ministers were changed frequently. iii. Totally discredited. d. Failure to make political reforms i. During the war the Tsar had the chance to make some concessions to political reform that might have saved him. Russia would have slipped into a constitutional monarchy and the pressure would be taken off him personally. ii. The Duma was fully supporting him in the war. iii. However, Nicolas II chose to retain autocracy and was to pay the price for it. 3. Causes and build up to the February Revolution a. Factors before 1914 i. Indecisive and weak Tsar. Not willing to abandon autocracy and make concessions to the government. ii. Corrupt and outdated autocracy. iii. Growing professional middle class who wanted a larger role in government iv. Alienated urban workers whose strikes are increasing v. Poor and hungry peasants b. Impact of war i. Morale decreases in the army ii. Tsar’s decision to take control of the army makes him responsible for defeats iii. Middle class saw government as incompetent and wanted a more representative government iv. Devastating economic impact of war in cities: inflation, unemployment, shortages of goods, etc. v. Peasants hit by loss of sons in war and loss of animals to the army. Food production falling. c. Catalyst of February Revolution i. Supporting for the Tsar eroding at all levels in 1916. The generals told the Tsar they would be no longer supporting him.

Corin, Fiehn "Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin", 2002, John Murray Publishers, London. Just by the way, none of this is true.