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.