To what extent was Russian participation in the first world war responsible for Russian revolution in 1917
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HOMEWORK HELP > THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION
How did World War I lead to the Russian Revolution?
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POHNPEI397 eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
World War I was the direct catalyst for the Russian Revolution of 1917. The poor performance of the Russian government in the Great War, along with the stress that the war put on the Russian society and economy, drove people who were already generally unhappy with the regime to rebel.
Russians had been unhappy for decades with the autocratic tsarist regime and the country’s economic backwardness. This unhappiness had been exacerbated by the country’s loss in the war with Japan in 1905. Less than ten years later, the country was at war again. Once again, Russia suffered humiliating defeats. This made people generally more unhappy with their government. The unhappiness was deepened by the fact that about 1.7 million Russians were killed in the war and about 5 million wounded.
The Russians, then, were unhappy with the regime's ineptitude and also with its apparent lack of concern for huge casualty numbers. They also came to be upset with the economic situation. The Russian economy was never very strong and now its efforts were being used to fight the war. This led to shortages for the civilian population and even more unrest.
All of this unhappiness on the part of the Russian people helped to create a situation where the Russian Revolution could take place.
In the following ways the participation of Russia in World War I responsible for the Russian revolution in 1917:
1. The Russian army lost severely in Austria and Germany between 1914 and 1916. Hence, when they fled, they damaged crops and buildings to obstruct the enemy from being able to live off the ground. This devastation of crops and structures directed to over 3 million refugees in Russia.
2. The world war had a critical impact on the industry of Russia. As Russia possessed very few industries and the country was cut off with the supply of industrial goods by Germany.
3. Modern material disintegrated more quickly in Russia than elsewhere in Europe. Russia called the Able-bodied men in the war by 1916, which resulted in the labor shortage and shutting down of various workshops.
4. A large amount of crop was sent to feed the army. This caused the scarcity of bread and flour for the people in the cities.
Therefore, the participation of the Tsar of Russia in World War I led to the revolution in Russia.