How far did WWI lead to the end of the tsarist regime?
How far did WWI lead to the end of the tsarist regime?
WW1 was a terrible time for autocracies around Europe, none survived. The only royal family involved in the 1st world war that survived was the British. We must therefore infer that World War One led to the end of the Tsarist Regime. The First World War was undoubtedly an important factor that contributed to the decision to abdicate by Tsar Nicholas II but were there others and if so which was the most significant?
The First World War had three main affects that were responsible for the downfall of the Tsar. To start with the loss of agricultural workers and horses to the army, coupled with the takeover of railway lines by the army, led to severe food shortages in towns and cities as supply could not cope. Moscow, for example, had been receiving 2,200 railway wagons of grain per month in 1914, but by Christmas 1916, this figure was down to around 300 wagons. Therefore, there was not enough food to feed the people of Russia despite the rationing that had been brought into place. This resulted in the people of Russia becoming upset and hungry and taking part in more strikes and demonstrations on the same issue of workers conditions.
Furthermore, the First World War crippled the Russian economy. The country mobilized 9% of the population in 1914 and by 1916 15.3 million men had experienced military service. The cost of fighting the war and of maintaining such a large armed force put great strains on the economy. The Budget for example rose by 8 times between 1913 and 1916 as the government now had to bring in more food and pay more troops. This was mainly financed out of higher taxes (which are always unpopular, loans and borrowing from Britain and France putting the in an incredibly weak place and with incredibly large debt. In order to pay of this debt and cover the monumental cost of the war, the government printed more money, leading to inflation. This can be seen in the way that prices
WW1 was a terrible time for autocracies around Europe, none survived. The only royal family involved in the 1st world war that survived was the British. We must therefore infer that World War One led to the end of the Tsarist Regime. The First World War was undoubtedly an important factor that contributed to the decision to abdicate by Tsar Nicholas II but were there others and if so which was the most significant?
The First World War had three main affects that were responsible for the downfall of the Tsar. To start with the loss of agricultural workers and horses to the army, coupled with the takeover of railway lines by the army, led to severe food shortages in towns and cities as supply could not cope. Moscow, for example, had been receiving 2,200 railway wagons of grain per month in 1914, but by Christmas 1916, this figure was down to around 300 wagons. Therefore, there was not enough food to feed the people of Russia despite the rationing that had been brought into place. This resulted in the people of Russia becoming upset and hungry and taking part in more strikes and demonstrations on the same issue of workers conditions.
Furthermore, the First World War crippled the Russian economy. The country mobilized 9% of the population in 1914 and by 1916 15.3 million men had experienced military service. The cost of fighting the war and of maintaining such a large armed force put great strains on the economy. The Budget for example rose by 8 times between 1913 and 1916 as the government now had to bring in more food and pay more troops. This was mainly financed out of higher taxes (which are always unpopular, loans and borrowing from Britain and France putting the in an incredibly weak place and with incredibly large debt. In order to pay of this debt and cover the monumental cost of the war, the government printed more money, leading to inflation. This can be seen in the way that prices