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Summary History OCR Russia Topic 2
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Includes A* revision notes on Russia Topic 2: - short summaries on 1917s revolutions
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Topic 2: The 1917 Revolutions1. The impact of the First World War 1914-1917, defeats,losses,economic
dislocation, food shortages,transport problems,inflations.
● How the war started
-War started following the assassination in June 1914 of Franz Ferdinand
-Germany backed Austria- Hungary. The crisis did not make war but Russian and
German -mobilisation plans did
-Mobilisation plan Full based on plans for a full-scale war against both Germany and
Austria.
-Consequence, When the Tsar signed full mobilisation order, Germany had no
choice but to declare war on Russia
● Impact of war on Russia
-Three years of total war were too great a strain for the Russian economy to bear
-The political, social and economic institutions of Russia proved increasingly
incapable of meeting the demands that war placed on them.
● Inflation
- Russia achieved remarkable financial stability by 1914.
- Largest gold reserves of any European country -> position was destroyed by the war
- Between 1914-1917 government rose from 4 million to 30 million roubles
- Increased taxation at home
- The gold standard was abandoned, which allowed the government to put more notes
into circulation. Known as quantitative easing(Printing of extra currency notes to meet
demand.) Short-term enable wages to be paid, long term makes money worthless.
- 1914-1916 average earnings doubled while the price of food quadrupled.
● Food and Transport
- 1916 profits fell.
- Inflation made trading unprofitable, so the peasants stopped selling food and began
hoarding their stocks
- The army had first claimed the more limited amount of food being produced.
- The military had priority in the use of the transport system. It commandeered the
railways and the roads, with the result that food supplies to civilian areas became
difficult to maintain.
● Transport
- Transport dislocation made it difficult to distribute food supplies effectively
- Hunger bordering on famine became a constant reality for much of Russia
- The attempt to transport millions of troops and masses of supplies to war fronts
created unbearable pressure.
- The signalling system on which the railway network depended broke down. Led to
blocked lines, steam trains stranded by engine failure or lack of coal became a
commonplace.
- Less than two years after the war, the Russian railway system collapsed. Reports on
food rooting in railway trucks that couldn't be moved
● Living Conditions
- Increasing difficult
, - food, clothing, and rent increased significantly
● Army
- Largest army of all countries in numbers
- problem was poor administration and ineffective liaison between the government
departments responsible for supplies
- The president of the duma reported on the widespread disorganisation and its dismal
effects
- result in Russian soldiers desperately short of food, ammunition and medical
supplies.
● Morale
- High at the start among army and civilians but was damaged by lengthening casualty
lists at the front and ceiling supplies at home, partially of prohibited vodka.
2. Nicholas’ Leadership
He was abdicated in 1917 due to failing to solve Russia's problem
● World War 1
- Nicholas II took personal command of Russian forces at the front, despite
having little military experience.
- He left the conduct of government in Petrograd to a series of incompetent
ministers and his unpopular wife, who was increasingly influenced by
Rasputin. Rumours that he was having an affair with the Tsar’s wife plus the
fact that ministers believed that Rasputin’s opinions were considered more
important than theirs, undermined Nicholas’ leadership.
- Failures of war (3 million deaths )
● Social factors
- Full-scale strike 1917 at Putilov steel works, largest factory in Petrograd ->
strikers were joined by a growing number of workers who had been angered
about the cut in food supplies
- 23d Feb International women's day -> thousands of women joined streets to
protest for demand of food + conclusion of war
● Unwilling to share his power
- He was dismissive of ministers, not listening to them properly
- He rejected offers from the liberal middle classes to share the burden of
government. He did not work well with the Duma. He dismissed it when it
wanted to change. This frustrated the liberals who wanted to work with the
Tsar through a duma.
- Resulted in the formation of Provisonal government
3. Rasputin
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