Reasons for the 1917 Russian Revolution
- Submitted by: DocWatson
- Views: 734
- Category: History: Russian
- Date Submitted: 10/14/2011 04:06 AM
- Pages: 7
- Report this Essay
Reasons for the 1917 Russian Revolution
World War One was a huge contributing factor in the 1917 Russian revolution; however it was not the only one. The failure of Tsar Nicholas II to rule his country well, the failure of the Duma and Bolshevik agitation all played a significant part.
World War One was terribly mismanaged by Russia, in terms of supplies, equipment and strategy. This mismanagement led to soldiers going into battle in sub zero degree temperatures without so much as a coat or shoes and often even without a gun. In some regiments, at least one third of the men had no gun and had to wait until their comrades fell to pick up theirs.
The movement of so much of Russia’s male population to the East meant that transport systems had to be greatly improved in order to continue to feed all of these men. The rail system that Russia had in place however began to fall even further into disrepair as so many engineers were at the front. This meant that whilst a huge amount of food was being requisitioned for the army, it was often rotting whilst waiting for transport. Squabbling within the upper house of the Duma (Russian parliament, established after 1905 revolution) meant that nothing was done to fix this situation.
The priority was to feed the soldiers and as a result the people in the cities were starving. Even foods which are the staple of a Russian diet such as bread were unavailable. This lack of food lead to protests and demonstrations in the streets, which were often shut down violently.
In World War I, over 1.7 million Russian people died, leaving families without their primary breadwinner. Over 8 million people were injured; these injuries often involved loss of limbs due to the nature of the ordnance used at the front. The injured men were simply put on railway carriages and returned to the cities to be cared for by their families which further exacerbated the food shortages.
The War also caused massive inflation of around 300%. This...
World War One was a huge contributing factor in the 1917 Russian revolution; however it was not the only one. The failure of Tsar Nicholas II to rule his country well, the failure of the Duma and Bolshevik agitation all played a significant part.
World War One was terribly mismanaged by Russia, in terms of supplies, equipment and strategy. This mismanagement led to soldiers going into battle in sub zero degree temperatures without so much as a coat or shoes and often even without a gun. In some regiments, at least one third of the men had no gun and had to wait until their comrades fell to pick up theirs.
The movement of so much of Russia’s male population to the East meant that transport systems had to be greatly improved in order to continue to feed all of these men. The rail system that Russia had in place however began to fall even further into disrepair as so many engineers were at the front. This meant that whilst a huge amount of food was being requisitioned for the army, it was often rotting whilst waiting for transport. Squabbling within the upper house of the Duma (Russian parliament, established after 1905 revolution) meant that nothing was done to fix this situation.
The priority was to feed the soldiers and as a result the people in the cities were starving. Even foods which are the staple of a Russian diet such as bread were unavailable. This lack of food lead to protests and demonstrations in the streets, which were often shut down violently.
In World War I, over 1.7 million Russian people died, leaving families without their primary breadwinner. Over 8 million people were injured; these injuries often involved loss of limbs due to the nature of the ordnance used at the front. The injured men were simply put on railway carriages and returned to the cities to be cared for by their families which further exacerbated the food shortages.
The War also caused massive inflation of around 300%. This...