Effects of the Great War
Upon Russia
The Russian Army – The Eastern Front
Russia had promised France to
attack into East Prussia if a war
was to break out.
In effect, that was what they
did when the Great War began
Initially they were successful in
pushing their forces forward,
but as German resistance grew,
the problems with the Russian
Army began to show
Many Internal Problems
The Russian Army had millions of men, but were
poorly trained, led and equipped
In many cases Russian soldiers were sent into combat
without weapons
They were expected to pick up the rifles of comrades
who had been killed or wounded and carry on the fight
The troops often did not understand the language of
their officers or fellow soldiers, as they were drawn
from all over the Russian Empire
Officers and generals distrusted each other and in
many cases refused to work together during battles
These and many more possible examples showcase
the war effort by Russia.
Russian Bear is Broken
By 1917 the army was near
collapse
The Russian solider who had a
reputation of being brave,
tough and loyal had been
broken
Massive losses, no medical
treatment for wounded, limited
weapons and food, and began
to lose morale and a willingness
to fight.
The Home Front
With the war going badly for Russia, the
Tsar decided to take matters into his own
hands
He believed that under his personal
command his armies would fight like
never before
While he was at the front, he left his
wife Empress Alexandra in charge of
affairs
She was not trained in the inner
workings of government and listened to
the advice of Rasputin.
Rasputin’s Influence
Rasputin used his influence to put his friends
into powerful government positions
During this time, many false rumors began to
circulate among the people that Rasputin and
Alexandra were lovers
Other rumors were spread that Alexandra was
trying to lose the war on purpose because she
was German
The same rumors were spread about the
British royal family and they promptly
changed their name from Saxe-Coburg to
Windsor as it sounded more English
Rasputin and Unrest
Although the rumors were false,
many in Russia began to believe
them
Ultimately, Rasputin was killed
by a group of men trying to
protect the prestige of the
Russian throne
These problems, combined with
the poor performance of the
army, led to political great unrest.
The Two Revolutions of 1917
The March Revolution
Severe food shortages due to the war
effort began causing major problems
for the common people of Russia
As starvation claimed the lives of
poor people, the duma began to
publicly accuse the Tsar of destroying
the country
Rioting Breaks Out
Workers began strikes and riots
against the government as a protest to
the war and how it was being fought
Troops were called in to stop the riots
and were ordered to fire upon the
workers
Instead of firing upon the workers,
they joined them in the protest
against the war and therefore the Tsar.
Tsar Reacts – Too Slowly
The Tsar attempted to return to St
Petersburg to take control of the situation,
but the duma announced that they did not
recognize the leadership of the Tsar any
longer
They also announced the formation of a
Provisional (temporary) Government to run
the country in the absence of the Tsar
Nicholas II was shocked by the reaction of
his people and was crushed by their lack of
support
He abdicated the throne on 15 March
1917.
The Provisional Government
The new government of Russia
immediately tried to fix the major
problems facing the country
They promised the suffering peasants that
they could own their land, and that all
would be free to enjoy the new prospects
of Russia
The new government had good intentions,
but did not have experience in running a
large country.
The War Continues
Provisional Government announced
that the war against Germany and
Austria-Hungary must continue.
Western Russia was under the
occupation of the advancing German
Army and had to be stopped
All reforms to the Russian system were
to be placed on hold until the enemy
was defeated
This decision was soon to become the
downfall of the government, as the
people did not want to wait
Fueling Political Instability
During this time of confusion within Russia,
many former exiles returned to carry out
changes to the system
One of the major players to return from
Switzerland was Vladimir Lenin
Lenin was brought to Russia by the German
army in a sealed railcar
Which may or may not be true
They wanted him to undermine the Russian
war effort
They never believed that he would be able
to seize power and change the history of
Europe.
The November (October) Revolution
Under the leadership of Lenin, the
Bolshevik party gained strong support from
the workers and soldiers inside the city of St
Petersburg
As Lenin’s support grew, the Provisional
Government suffered further defeats at the
hands of the German Army
In addition, major plots against the
government by socialist and supporters of
the Tsar began to erode its power.
Lenin and Bolsheviks Make Their Move
On the night of 7 November 1917,
Lenin made his move to seize power
The Bolsheviks surrounded the Winter
Palace where the Provisional
Government was meeting and arrested
everyone
As well, Bolshevik supporters seized the
power stations and centers of
communication
Lenin’s party immediately moved into
the government offices and began to
issue orders to run the country.
Confusion for Historians
Russian historians have described this
series of events as the October
Revolution
This can cause confusion because
Russia used the Julian calendar, so
what the rest of Europe calls
November, they call October.
The job of seizing control of the
government was relativity easy one for
Lenin. The difficult task of trying to
unite and run a large country like
Russia was to prove to be something
much more difficult.
Lenin In – Russia Out (of the Great War)
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Of primary importance to Lenin was
to find an end to the war
He understood the need to
consolidate his power inside of
Russia, but could not do so with the
threat of the German Army advancing
Lenin was prepared to seek peace at
any cost with the Germans so that the
revolution could continue.
Marx’s Theory Blinds Lenin
The Bolsheviks were prepared to give
anything to the Germans because they
believed in Marx’s theory about
revolution
If a revolution occurs in one country, it
will quickly spread to others
Thus, they believed that Germany was
next to have the workers rise up and
seize control
Lenin believed that Imperial Germany
would not last long, so gave in to the
German demands.
The Soviet Union is Born – And Gives In
On 3 March 1917 Russia and Germany signed
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Contained in the harsh treaty was the demand
that Russia give up Finland, Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, the Ukraine and the
Transcaucasia
Some historians state that this treaty was
worse that the Treaty of Versailles
These areas were to be occupied by German
troops and supply Germany with much needed
supplies
the treaty was never enforced because
Germany lost the war and the Allies did not
give Germany any territories