Lesson 22 Impact of WWI on Russia
Lesson Overview
Lesson 22: The impact of WWI on Russia
Course: Year 12 DP History Paper 3 (HL only)
Unit: 1: Russia 1855-1924
Key Dates and Events
1894: Key developments in Russian history
1904-5: Russo-Japanese War
9 January 1905: Bloody Sunday
October 1905: Revolution of 1905
April 1906: Introduction of the Russian Constitution
1906-1914: Political developments and reforms
18 September 1911: Assassination of Peter Stolypin
February 1913: Key political shifts and events
1 August 1914: Outbreak of WWI
2 March 1917: Abdication of Nicholas II
Outbreak of WWI
August 1914: Outbreak of WWI, following a chain of alliances and mobilizations.
Overview of Alliances
Neutral Powers: Countries not involved in WWI
Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire
Allied Powers: France, Britain, Russia, and later the USA
Reasons for Russia's Involvement in WWI
Defeat in Russo-Japanese War (1904-5) shifted focus towards European conflicts.
Formation of the Triple Entente (France, Russia, Britain) in 1907 aimed to counter German threats.
Russia viewed itself as the protector of Serbia due to shared Slavic heritage.
Events Leading to War
28 June 1914: Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
28 July 1914: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
30 July 1914: Russia mobilizes forces to protect Serbia.
1 August 1914: Germany declares war on Russia.
6 August 1914: Full-scale war erupts between alliances (Central Powers vs Triple Entente).
Impact of WWI on Russia
Military Failures: Poor performance, especially after Tsar Nicholas II took command in August 1915.
Political Crisis: Economic struggles intensified political unrest, contributing to dissatisfaction with the Tsar.
Economic Consequences:
Food shortages: Moscow's grain shipments dropped from 2200 to below 700 wagons per month by early 1917.
Dramatic increase in prices indexed to 100 in August 1914, surging to 398 by January 1917.
Casualties: Approximately 16 million mobilized, with 1.8 million killed and around 5 million injured.
Social Changes
Military personnel losses led to a shift in military leadership from aristocrats to lower-class officers, diminishing loyalty to the Tsar.
Resource requisitioning in agriculture affected food production.
Further Reading
Source: Michael Lynch, Bolshevik and Stalinist Russia 1917-64
Insights on military and economic failures leading to political crises that undermined tsarist rule.
Examination Task
Organize information into a diamond format to display significant facts regarding WWI's impact.
Results of WWI for Russia
Key Event: Abdication of Nicholas II in March 1917 due to war-induced crises.
Discussion Question
Evaluate the statement: "The outbreak of war in 1914 postponed the downfall of Nicholas II but also contributed to his overthrow in the first 1917 Russian revolution."
Essay Features to Highlight
Include elements such as topic sentences, analysis, factual evidence, and multiple perspectives in writing.