A summarised section 2 of the Russian revolution from the cie as history 9489 syllabus.
This chapter focuses on the revolution during and post wartime and weakness that Russia incurred because of it
What were the causes and immediate outcomes of the
February Revolution in 1917
v Political, social and economic effects of the First World War,
impact of military defeats
§ Russia argues that it did not go to war in 1914 to win territory,
but to protect Serbia.
§ Wanted to protect Serbia to what they believed were a warlike
demand of Austria Hungary.
§ Austria Hungary was allied with Germany - leader was Kaiser
Wilhelm II.
§ Russia believed Germany was its main threat to its security.
§ Austria Hungary believed that Russia was using Serbia to
extend its influence in the Balkans
§ The July 1914 crisis that led to the outbreak of war. It was
triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
who was heir to the Australian Austrian throne, and on a state
visit to Bosnia.
§ Austria-Hungary issued the Serbian government with an
ultimatum as they believed that they had killed him.
§ Germany declared war on Russia as they were in aid of Serbia.
Therefore, Russia was now with war with both Germany and
Austria Hungary.
Russia’s wartime weaknesses
§ The population initially rallied around the tsar saw as a symbol
of unity.
§ In the Duma, all except 4 Bolsheviks declared their support for
the war.
§ Lenin, who fled and was now in Switzerland, who was neutral,
was more depressed about the failure of the working class to
start a revolution.
§ Events soon began to turn against the tsarist regime Due to its
inability to manage the war.
, § The Russian military did have improvements from the defeat of
Japan in 1904 to 1905.
§ In 1914, the Russian army was much larger than that of
Germanys, and it mobilized more quickly than expected in
invading Eastern Germany.
§ The Kaisers army invaded Belgium and France and was now
fighting a war on two fronts.
§ Russia still relied on its cavalry, which were ineffective against
modern weapons.
§ Horses were needed to carry food and were used as transport,
but they were also needed elsewhere, so this was unreliable.
§ Methods of Modern Warfare had not yet been introduced to
the Russian army.
The course of the war
§ The conflict did, however, begin badly for Russia.
§ There was some early victories against the Austria- Hungarian
army and a success against Turkey.
§ It was clear that Russia would not be able to win a war with
Germany.
§ Defeat at Tannenberg in August 1914 showed the superiority of
German forces.
§ Germany experienced better armed forces, better weapons,
better radio technology.
§ The human cost and cost and resources are slowly started
mounting up for Russia.
§ The peasant majority of soldiers short on clothes, food,
weapons and ammunition.
§ Guns and shells were piled up, unable to reach the soldiers due
to an inefficient. Transport system.
Economic chaos and the home front
§ Russia had all the industries, they had a railway system, they
had harvests. They had sufficient food to feed the population.
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