Russia In World War One

For decades, Russia had been a smouldering cauldron of discontent, bubbling over occasionally in strikes, riots, and assassinations. However, it was The Great War which was to be the tipping point for three of the most powerful dynasties the world had ever seen; The Hohenzollerns of Germany, the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary, and the topic of this presentation the Romanovs who were the emperors of all the Russia’s. This was the war which brought these great empires to ruin and which spawned republics in their place.

It marked the end of an imperialistic age and forced us to give up our last grasp of our medieval understanding. World War One proved to be the end for the tsarist government. The tsar was unable to rule effectively, and he made poor decisions which led to hardship for his subjects. Secondly, it was in 1915 that Tsar Nicholas II decided against advice to take command of the Imperial Russian army. Finally, from the start of the war, Russia's economic problems grew worse and by 1917, the country was facing economic collapse.

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Firstly, Tsar Nicholas II was unable to rule effectively. Nicholas’s poor decisions led to worsening relations with the government and increased hardship for his subjects. He was detached from the plight of the Russian people and his policies alienated ethnic minorities. When the tsar did recall the Duma in 1915, the Octoberists and Kadets established the Progressive Bloc who wanted to have greater control over the war. In response Nicholas closed the Duma, which in turn alienated many liberals.

It was in this climate of low support that Nicholas declared himself Commander in Chief of the army and departed for the Eastern Front. His absence left a weakened government in Petrograd and his wife, Tsarina Alexandra, in control, however she was a German princess and some were suspicious as to where her loyalties lay. Her biggest fault proved to be that she would appoint men who owed their positions to winning favour with the Tsarina, rather than their ability and effectiveness. This would have been bad enough with Russia at peace, but in wartime, it led inevitably to disaster for the monarchy and for Russia.

Secondly, It was in 1915 that Tsar Nicholas II decided against all advice to take personal command of the army. He left Petrograd and moved to army headquarters. The tsar may have believed that, by taking charge, his army would be inspired and fight with renewed vigour. Unfortunately, the Tsar knew little about the command and organisation of military forces. After the tsar had taken command Russia’s embarrassing series of military failures continued and his presence did nothing to reinvigorate the army. The situation was not helped by the organisation of the Russian troops which deteriorated as there were massive shortages of ammunition, equipment, and medical supplies. It was Nicholas II's decision to take charge of the army which meant that he was seen by the Russian people as having personal responsibility for the military disasters inflicted on Russia and would only make him more unpopular.

Finally, Russia's economic problems grew worse and by the beginning of 1917, the country was facing economic collapse. The ‘war economy’ had resulted in a steep increase of workers in the cities. City administrations faced added pressure to provide housing and services. Due to this unemployment rose in industries that were not directly contributing to the war effort. Even for the industries which remained raw materials from overseas could not reach Russia which resulted in shortages of finished goods. Living conditions deteriorated, especially because of shortages in the shops. These were caused by:

• The abandonment of Poland and Lithuania in 1915 had deprived Russia of much farmland

• Peasants hoarded grain for their own use rather than selling it

• The railways were committed to the war effort not transporting supplies to the cities

There was a severe lack of food in Moscow and, in 1917, Petrograd only received half of the grain required to feed its citizens. These shortages contributed to social unrest.

In conclusion, it proved to be a combined series of economic, military, and political failures which were brought on and then accelerated by the breakout of World War One which only served to cause the downfall of the tsarist system and the Russian Empire itself. The precarious situation the Russian Empire was in is best described by the Deputy Minister of the interior during February 1914, he sent a memo to the tsar in which he stated that ‘A war against Germany even if Russia won would only serve to destroy the monarchy.’ This serves to perfectly capture how precarious the Russian situation was and that the monarchy which had ruled Russia for 300 years was already near collapse and World War One only accelerated the process.