The Extent to Which the First World War Contributed to the Fall of Czardom in Russia

The Extent to Which the First World War Contributed to the Fall of Czardom in Russia

Since the 1905 Revolution, the Czardom continued to decline. The

insincerity of the Czar, setting up of Dumas, the rise of

revolutionary group and so on had created an explosive situation in

Russia. In 1914, Czar Nicolas II decided to enter the First World War

in order to rise the prestige and gain support from people, however,

it was the fatal mistake ever made by the royal family which acted as

a catalyst for the February Revolution. Though at the beginning, the

Russian seemed to support to enter the war, military defeats the

government's incompetence soon soured much of the population.

Maladministration and ineffective economic policies hurt the country

financially, logistically and militarily.

Russia entered the war unprepared. There was a grave lack of

co-ordination between the Ministry of War and the Front. War

Industries Committee was formed to ensure that necessary supplies

reached the front. But army officers quarreled with civilian leaders

and refused to cooperate with the committee. The army was inadequately

trained and equipped. They were instructed to pick up weapons from the

dead and the superiority of the Germans lowered the morale and spirits

of the soldiers. Several severe defeats in the battlefields had made

the soldiers lost their faith and not as loyal to Czar as they were in

1905. They blamed Nicolas II for the lost. Moreover, Nicholas II went

to the front to assume leadership of the army, leaving behind the

Czarina, Alexandra, and Rasputin, an evil monk, who exercised

influence on policy and ministerial appointments after the C...

... middle of paper ...

...overnment afterwards, especially

during the First World War. However, it could not say that this was a

major cause of the fall of Czardom, since Rasputin was murdered by

nobles in 1916, the situation was no better onwards. Revolution still

broke out after a year later. But Czarina Alexandra and Rasputin

undoubtedly decreased the regime's prestige and credibility.

To conclude, though there were lots of underlying causes that

contributed to the fall of Czardom, they only created an explosive

time bomb for a revolution. It was the WWI act as a trigger, brought

about the people and overthrown the Czardom in 1917 February

Revolution. Therefore, WWI is the major cause to the fall of Czardom.

Reference:

Aspects of European History 1789-1980 --- Stephen J. Lee

Mastering Modern European History --- Stuart T. Miller