The impact of the First World War Flashcards Preview

2. The end of Romanov rule, 1906-17 > The impact of the First World War > Flashcards

Flashcards in The impact of the First World War Deck (16)
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1
Q

On the eve of the First World War Russia’s army was…

A

superficially impressive - however, at a deeper level, it had serious weaknesses.

2
Q

The Russian army was the…in Europe.

A

largest

3
Q

How many soldiers and reservists were there in the Russian army at the start of WWI?

A

1.4 million soldiers and 3 million reservists.

4
Q

What were the 1908 military reforms?

A

Based on a comprehensive ten-year programme to modernise the army, including the introduction of military aircraft.

5
Q

Who was the Minister of War in 1913?

A

Vladimir Sukhomlinov.

6
Q

What did Vladimir Sukhomlinov, the Minister of War, adopt in 1913?

A

The ‘Grand Plan’ - a response to increased tensions in the Balkans - it proposed an offensive strategy in order to secure Russia’s western borders.

7
Q

What were the long term problems with the army?

A

1 - Incompetent generals who had senior positions due to their family connections, not their ability to lead
2- Russian soldiers were the least educated of any European army
3 - Russian industry was still undeveloped relative to other European nations, therefore Russian arms production was comparatively inefficient
- Additionally, military reform wasn’t entirely effective.

8
Q

Why wasn’t military reform entirely effective?

A
  • Modernisation plans were designed to ensure the army was ready for war in 1917; therefore, the army was not ready for the outbreak of war in 1914
  • The Tsar authorised a massive programme of naval expansion in 1907 which took up a large part of the military budget. However, as Russia faced no major threats from other naval powers this did almost nothing to defend the nation.
9
Q

How did the First World War expose the weaknesses of the Russian army?

A
  • Initial victories were short-lived
  • Russian defeat at the Battle of Tannenberg led to the ‘Great Retreat’ of 1915
  • Attempts to regain the initiative through the ‘Brusilov Offensive’ of 1916 also ended in failure
10
Q

How many times did the capital city of Russia change its name between 1894 and 1924?

A

3 - St Petersburgs, Petrograd, Leningrad.

11
Q

What economic problems did Russia face due to the First World War?

A
  • Inflation

- Food shortages

12
Q

Why was inflation, as a result of the First World War, a problem?

A
  • It had a major impact on food prices
  • By 1917, inflation had reached 200%
  • Food prices went up even faster
  • The price of flour, for example, rose by 500%
  • By January 1917 Petrograd was receiving only 48% of its total grain requirements
  • The army was also forced to reduced rations from 4,000 to 2,000 calories a day
13
Q

Why did urbanisation occur as a result of WWI?

A
  • The growth of the war economy meant more workers were employed in factories in the cities
  • Between 1914 and 1917, Petrograd’s population rose from 2.1 million to 2.7 million
14
Q

Explain the munitions crisis during WWI?

A
  • Russia’s military planners had assumed that modern wars would be relatively short
  • Therefore the army had not stockpiled enough weapons to keep fighting
  • Russian industry also lacked the capacity to produce sufficient quantities of munitions
  • By mid-1915 the munitions crisis was so bad that Russian artillery units were limited to 3 shells per day
15
Q

When did Russia experience severe shortages of munitions?

A

In the spring of 1915, which led to military setbacks.

16
Q

What was the transport crisis during WWI?

A
  • Russia’s transport networks struggled to cope with the need to transport troops, munitions and food
  • This exacerbated food shortages in the cities and munitions shortages on the front line