Internal Divisions and Crises
Russia's Involvement in WWI
Topic Menu
Content Contributors
Learning Objectives

Russia's Involvement in WWI
Reasons for involvement
○ 1914, Russia was bordered by germany and austria-hungary who formed a defensive alliance called the dual alliance; if attacked by russia, they’d come to each other’s defence
○ Russia and Serbia also had an alliance (unofficial), showing that russia was trying to assert its influence abroad
○ Outbreak of WWII; Austria-Hungary invades Serbia, Russia joins and declares war on Austria-Hungary, and Germany then declared war on Russia — surprised Tsar Nicholas II as he believed his family ties with Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany would supersede international treaties (cousins)
Early stages of war
○ WWI offered a bit of respite for the Russian royal family
○ Russians were patriotic to the war; Russians were keen to see their leadership defend them against foreign attackera and thousands gathered outside the winter palace to show support for the Tsar; 95% of men conscripted into the army turned up willingly for duty
○ Weak mobilisation; the army was mobilised extremely quickly but were unprepared, some soldiers fighting without boots and rifles
○ Slow industrialisation meant not enough production of weapons or ammunition to supply the troops
○ Poor strategy; military strategy was weak and outdated, Russia only had a defensive war plan so when Russia was on the offensive, military commanders were clueless
Russia’s changing experiences of the war
○ Early battle failures; Aug 1914, invasion of German East Prussia, Russia was defeated at Battle of Tannenberg
○ Sept 1914, another defeat at Battle of Masurian Lakes
○ May 1915, Russians forced into retreat; middle of 1915, 800,000 Russians died
○ Tsar Nicholas commands the army; Tsar fires army commander-in-chief and stepped in due to defeats and lack of progress
○ Tsar abandoned Russian homefront at a time of crisis and left Russia’s leadership to Tsarina Alexandra, and the Tsar took on responsibility for the war failings personally and lost support
Impacts of WWI
Russian Economy
○ Russian workers and peasants in 1905 revolution were unhappy; late industrialisation, outdated agricultural techniques and transport, rigid social structure
○ WWI economic issues; two years of war brought all issues back to the surface and deepened economic issues
○ Labour shortage on peasant land
○ Reduced food production
○ Near total collapse of industry
○ Lack of weapons, ammunition and supplies to frontlines
○ Breakdown of transport infrastructure, limiting troop movement and supply movement between cities and battlefields
○ Government response; printed more money leading to hyperinflation, leaving money worse
Russian Society
○ Society became disillusioned with a war they were losing
○ Peasants couldn’t produce enough food for themselves or Russia, workers launched massive strikes and soldiers were tired of sacrificing land and lives for nothing
○ Resulting anti-war sentiment threatened social stability and fighting capacity
Russian Politics
○ The Tsar’s decision to control the army in 1915 caused the political sphere to suffer
○ The Tsar abandoning his homefront for the war meant that Tsarina Alexandra stood in
○ Tsarina Alexandra grew close with the mystic Rasputin who was believed to be manioulating the government; the royal family quickly lost its credibility
○ Tsar seen as directly responsible for Russia’s failing military and his poor leadership and strategy became attached to his reputation
○ Soldiers lost faith in the commanders leading to mass mutiny and desertion
○ WWI exacerbated the issues that existed in Russia prior to the 1905 Revolution