The Significance of World War I in Bringing the Russian Revolution - Report Example

The Russian revolution of 1917 happened closely as an aftermath of the World War and it was mainly a reactionof the people to Russia’s involvement in the war. By this time, Czar Nicholas II had lost the people’s faith of ever improving the economy of the Soviet Union and the cases of corruption in the government were increasing with every new day. Czar Nicholas II had also dissolved the Russian parliament that had been established in 1905 after the 1905 Russian Revolution. This enhanced his dictatorial rule and the act was solely as a result of the Duma (Russian Parliament) opposing him. World War 1 had left bruises in the Russian economy as it could not match the technological advancement and arsenal of countries like Germany. Due to this it had incurred the highest number of causalities in the war and since there seemed to be less effort from Czar Nicholas II to introduce better strategies for the people a revolution seemed imminent. The call to overthrow Czar was called for by Russian radical elements with the support of the country’s moderates. Though it is called the February Revolution, it was begun on March 8, 1917. The Russians used the Julian calendar and so the date corresponding was February 23. This work will address the significance of the World War 1 in bringing the Russian Revolution. Keywords: Russian Revolution, World War 1, February Revolution, Russian Army. The Significance of World War 1 in Bringing the Russian Revolution Introduction On March 8, 1917 Russia experienced the worst revolution in its history. The revolution started by demonstrations which were clamouring for bread signifying the low living of the citizens took to the streets of the Russian capital Petrograd. The protestors immediately received the support of massive groups of striking industrial workers as they marched the streets of Petrograd (modern day St. Petersburg) clashing with police and doing other atrocities like destruction of police stations. As the protest become worse, more workers joined the protest and operations in the city were brought to a standstill (Rosenberg). Due to the pressure from the protestors, the imperial government had to resign though against its will. The Russian Parliament formed a provisional government that was to bring peace in Petrograd and end the revolution. Czar Nicholas II wanted to delegate the throne to his brother but the latter refused. After the revolution power was shared with the provisional government and the Petrograd Soviet taking control. However, on November 6 and 7 the same year Vladimir Lenin who was the Bolshevik Party leader launched a new revolution which was targeting the local provisional government. Forster explains that government buildings were occupied by Vladimir Lenin’s allies and later having taken control of Petrograd, Lenin was erected as the new leader (33). Lenin made much progress as the new leader of the Marxist state. Though virtually a dictator he was able to defeat the anti Bolsheviks and all those who were against his rule in 1922 and establish the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The paper will however focus on the part played by the World War 1 in the emergence of the two revolutions and how it shaped the state of Russia at that time. Russia Involvement and the First World War World War 1 broke out in August 1914 with Russia being among the key players and in opposite sides with Germany who were known to have better supply of both ammunition and other requirements needed during the war. Due to the presence of a common enemy the initial stages of the war saw unity among the Russians as they were against a common enemy-Germany. The Russians were driven by the need to defend their land as the wind of German advancement into the country became immense. The battle of Tannenberg was the first turning point of Russia’s involvement in the World War 1. During the battle in 1914, more than 30 000 Russian troops were killed and to make the matters even worse more than 90 000 more captured. In the battle only about 12 000 German casualties were reported. There was a remarkable victory however as the German allied troops were pushed back to the Galicia Region by the end of 1914 as the battle continued. The Russian troops were headed by Nicholas as their commander. In 1915 he left the government under the surveillance of his wife so that he could lead the army in fighting the German allied troops and defend their Country. The war took a different turn in 1915 when Germany troops changed their course and started attacking the East. The army that was to face the Russians was better trained and they had the best ammunition that surpassed the Russian’s arsenal by far (Solntseva 51). The Russians were just not going to be a fair match to the Germans with their crumbling economy that had no muscle to support their troops to match against the Germans. The Germans were ruthless and they drove the Russians out of Galicia by the end of 1916. The number of Russian casualties was still rising standing at 1.8 million dead soldiers and more than 2.5 million having been taken as prisoners. Due to these statistics there were revolts cooking up in Russia that really questioned the logic of Russia’s participation in the War. Effect of the War on the Russian Economy Russia’s participation in World War 1 had a negative effect on its economy and coupling that with the claims of corruption in the government, it worked as a reason behind the Revolution in 1917. The number of causalities was increasing with each passing day and this affected the workforce in the Russian country. By 1916, the situation was really turning chaotic. There was no money to serve the soldiers with ammunition and clothing and their uniforms were in rags. With the reducing morale and the ruthless opposing troops the loss incurred was more and defeat was fast approaching. More men were being called up to join the forces and due to the unrest the businesses in Russia were being held at a standstill. The supply of basic commodities was paralyzed and this had a hard felt effect to the people together with Nicholas’ government. By 1916 the Russian soldiers were in despair and they had totally lost hope of achieving victory. The war had drained much of Russian labour force and the effect was to be felt by the households who relied on the men who had been slain in the war. The requirements of the war were further draining the ailing Russian economy of all the muscle that it had leaving little to go to the rest of the population The shortages in basic commodities including food struck harder in 1916 as there was unrest in the country therefore hindering the normal production. The food crisis was the worst and it later led to the branding of the 1917 revolution as protestors called for Nicholas resignation due to his failure. The state of infrastructure in the St. Petersburg was pathetic and this led to closing of shops as they did not have the stuffs to sell. On top of the shortage in commodities it was becoming increasingly impossible for the people to afford the few commodities that were available. The cost of living sprung up and the misery among the people increased. This led to increased crime rates in S. Petersburg and women turned into prostitution to get something to feed their children. Political Aspects of the War Nicholas was the head of the government during the World War 1. World war 1 had come a few years after the formation of the Duma following the revolution in 1905. During the war there were claims of corruption in the government and public resources were being embezzled as the other remaining share was being channelled into supporting the fighting soldiers. By the end of 1915 a crisis was looming in the country with protests taking the rise and the rates of crime hitting a new peak. Due to the hard living conditions the government was being blamed but it did nothing to improve the people living standards or give the direction on the way forward. During the initial stages of the war the Russians had been united and were supporting Nicholas and his moves but by the end of 1916 the support had really waned. He was the one to be blamed for the poor living conditions and there was no hope of a better future if he remained in power (Malone 62-64). By the end of 1916, the Russian Parliament warned Nicholas that a terrible crisis was looming due to the state of the country after the war. They were calling for a constitutional form of government to be put in place so as to address the state of things in the country. This was aimed at averting the terrible disaster that could clearly be seen to come from the suffering people. Nicholas could not heed the advice given by the Duma. In the meantime the living conditions deteriorated and the economic status in country become worse. The Beginning of 1917 saw a new era in Russian history with riots from factory workers in St. Petersburg increasing which included the famous strike at Putilov which was the largest industrial plant in St. Petersburg. This were the initial stages of the planned revolution that materialized on February the same year with protestors demanding for bread to symbolize the lack of food and basic commodities. The Divided Russian Military According to Rendle, the Russian military was totally divided at the end of World War 1 and during the Russian Revolution (49). After the revolution on February 1917, majority of the soldiers pledged their allegiance to the individuals who had been allocated the responsibility of heading the City (49). This was done despite the fact that Nicholas II was still in power and it further showed their dissatisfaction to his rule. World War I had had served as a crude experience to the soldiers. The situations that they had been subjected to while on the war front had prompted them to retreat many times. By the end of 1916 and the onset of the revolution they were against the war. Nicholas reign had brought more misery than benefits and they were not ready to support him. Some of the soldiers however saw the revolution as a benefit as with a more united and realistic government they could be able to make the push for victory and edge out their enemies Germany (Rendle 50). The military officers were divided on who to support. Some supported the provisional government while others supported the Soviet. The division in the army due to their different perspectives regarding the war had a great effect on the revolutions that followed. For instance due to majority of the soldiers supporting the revolution the protestors faced little resistance as they executed the revolution that brought an end to the rule of Nicholas II. The soldiers supported the new leaders chosen to lead the government which also served to cement the will of the people who were tired with the current rule. Another point that should be put into consideration is that majority of the veteran soldiers had been killed in the war and the remaining ones had little experience in the war. Having witnessed the slaying of their fellow soldiers they did not want to continue with the war. A better way of settling the differences was called for as was done by Vladimir Lenin later to sign a treaty with Germany. The Revolution The February Revolution was as a result of the poor governance by Nicholas II and the state of the country following the World War that had been on since 1914 (Trotsky 102). Nicholas II had failed to heed the advice from the Duma that had called for the formation of a more centralized government that would be able to address the concerns of the people and avert the looming disaster in the country. The series of revolutions in 1917 which were later named the Russian revolution served as an end to the draconian rule of Nicholas II. The major revolution that was done in St. Petersburg saw the workers in the industries down their tools and support the protestors who were calling for the resignation of Nicholas II. The army did not act to stop the revolution and the rioters over powered the police who had been employed to counter them. The revolution led to the execution of Nicholas II and his family and immediately after two bodies came into power. The provisional government was given the mandate to handle state matters while the national network of soviets was given the mandate to control the lower class citizens who were mainly the backbone of the revolution. According to Forster, strikes continued even after the first revolution especially after provisional government decided to continue the fight with Germany (33). Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin went ahead to form a workers militia which was known as the red guards and later the red army which was aimed at discouraging the continuation of Russia’s participation in the World War. The Provisional government in St. Petersburg was thrown by the Bolsheviks on November the same year and the Bolsheviks took control of the government. The move was mainly due to the provisional government persistence in war that had left Russia in a disaster. In March 1918, Vladimir Lenin signed the treaty of Breast-Litovsk with Germany which led to the end of the war. The revolution further led to the birth of the USSR under Lenin’s rule. Conclusion World War 1 played a major part in the revolutions that rocked Russia in 1917. At the onset of the war in 1914, Russia was not ready for the war. It had poor ammunition as had been seen in its defeat by Japan in a war a few years before. During the war much of the government’s revenue was channelled to supporting the soldiers with little being left to facilitate development in the country. The government under Nicholas II was corrupt and though it had been supported by the people when the war started, they later lost trust in it due to the effects of the war. The war left the transport network in St. Petersburg paralyzed and so the delivery of basic commodities like food became impossible (Rosenberg). The living conditions deteriorated with the rise in the cost of living. The results were increased crime rate and cases of prostitution which also served to facilitate the revolution and. The revolution really shaped the direction that Russia took and the formation of the USSR and its comeback as an economic giant. Cited Works Forster, Matt. The Russian Revolution. 2009: 33. Web. Malone, Richard. Analyzing the Russian Revolution. 2009. Web. Rendle, Mathew. “Forging a Revolutionary Army: The All-Russian Military Union in 1917.” War in History 19.1 (2012): 49-71. Print. Rosenberg, Jennifer. ‘The Russian Revolution of 1917: The History of Both the February and October Russian Revolutions.’ 2oth Century History. n.d. Web. . Solntseva, Svetlana A. “The Russian Army’s Shock Formations in 1917.” Russian Studies in History 51.4 (2013): 50-73. Print. Trotsky, Leon. History of the Russian Revolution. 2008. Web. Read More