How far was the First World War responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs in 1917?
How far was the First World War responsible for the downfall of the Romanovs in 1917?
The peoples of the Russian Empire were governed by the autocratic ruler known as the Tsar. Since 1613 the Russian Tsars had been members of The Romanov dynasty, also referred to as the Russian monarchy which was hereditary. Between 1613 and 1917 Russia was ruled by the members of the house of Romanov. However the February Revolution was the final open move against the Tsar and his government where the range of opposition and the speed at which events turned from a protest into a revolution led to the abdication of the Tsar in 1917. The Tsar also renounced the throne on behalf of his haemophiliac son, and nominated his brother Michael the position as the new Tsar. However as Michael was unwilling to bear the burden of leading a disunited country, Russia was left without an emperor and Tsardom had collapsed. There were many reasons which could be held responsible for the downfall of the Romanov's. Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s was a nation in upheaval. Factors which led to this national disruption included the misrule of the Romanovs themselves, especially in relation to Tsar Nicolas II, the devastation of the Russian army during World War I, the emergence of Rasputin, and the social-economic situation that was already established in Russia. All of these issues combined to cause the defeat of the ruling family and inevitably led to dramatic political and social change within Russia.
I believe that the First World War was the main long-term cause as to the downfall of the Romanov's The war radically transformed Russia, the immediate effect was the enhanced popularity and status of the Tsar and the weakening of the anti-war Bolsheviks, but in the long run the War created many problems for Russia. The most significant predicament which the First World Ear brought to Russia was inflation where the value of money sharply declined creating instability and high prices, the main trigger was the removal of the gold standard, which was a system where Russia's basic unit of currency had a fixed gold equivalence thus giving it strength when it exchanged with other currencies. The abolition of the gold standard allowed more notes to be put into circulation and although in the short term it enabled wages to be paid and trade to continue but in the long term money became worthless, resulting in severe inflation which meant the cost of living soared and wages did not leaving Russia in an economic and social crisis. Inflation made trading unprofitable so peasants stopped selling foods and hoarding their stocks, thus affecting food supplies. The problem was increased by the fact the army had first claim on the more limited amount of food being produced, and as a result Hunger and Famine were a constant reality of for Russian people during the war. Furthermore transport broke down under stress war and caused major food shortages. The growth in railway between 1881 to1941 was an impressive achievement but didn't meet the demands of war and the transport system was put under unbearable pressure with its job to transport millions of troops and masses of supplies to the war fronts. Less than 2 years into the war the railway system collapsed and by 1916 Petrograd and Moscow were receiving only a 1/3 of the food and fuel requirements. This situation was worsened in early 1917 when fuel shortages caused more factories to stop working and bakeries closed which was an issue because a shortage of bread prompted panic as bread is a staple food item needed for survival, people became worried they would starve.
The peoples of the Russian Empire were governed by the autocratic ruler known as the Tsar. Since 1613 the Russian Tsars had been members of The Romanov dynasty, also referred to as the Russian monarchy which was hereditary. Between 1613 and 1917 Russia was ruled by the members of the house of Romanov. However the February Revolution was the final open move against the Tsar and his government where the range of opposition and the speed at which events turned from a protest into a revolution led to the abdication of the Tsar in 1917. The Tsar also renounced the throne on behalf of his haemophiliac son, and nominated his brother Michael the position as the new Tsar. However as Michael was unwilling to bear the burden of leading a disunited country, Russia was left without an emperor and Tsardom had collapsed. There were many reasons which could be held responsible for the downfall of the Romanov's. Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s was a nation in upheaval. Factors which led to this national disruption included the misrule of the Romanovs themselves, especially in relation to Tsar Nicolas II, the devastation of the Russian army during World War I, the emergence of Rasputin, and the social-economic situation that was already established in Russia. All of these issues combined to cause the defeat of the ruling family and inevitably led to dramatic political and social change within Russia.
I believe that the First World War was the main long-term cause as to the downfall of the Romanov's The war radically transformed Russia, the immediate effect was the enhanced popularity and status of the Tsar and the weakening of the anti-war Bolsheviks, but in the long run the War created many problems for Russia. The most significant predicament which the First World Ear brought to Russia was inflation where the value of money sharply declined creating instability and high prices, the main trigger was the removal of the gold standard, which was a system where Russia's basic unit of currency had a fixed gold equivalence thus giving it strength when it exchanged with other currencies. The abolition of the gold standard allowed more notes to be put into circulation and although in the short term it enabled wages to be paid and trade to continue but in the long term money became worthless, resulting in severe inflation which meant the cost of living soared and wages did not leaving Russia in an economic and social crisis. Inflation made trading unprofitable so peasants stopped selling foods and hoarding their stocks, thus affecting food supplies. The problem was increased by the fact the army had first claim on the more limited amount of food being produced, and as a result Hunger and Famine were a constant reality of for Russian people during the war. Furthermore transport broke down under stress war and caused major food shortages. The growth in railway between 1881 to1941 was an impressive achievement but didn't meet the demands of war and the transport system was put under unbearable pressure with its job to transport millions of troops and masses of supplies to the war fronts. Less than 2 years into the war the railway system collapsed and by 1916 Petrograd and Moscow were receiving only a 1/3 of the food and fuel requirements. This situation was worsened in early 1917 when fuel shortages caused more factories to stop working and bakeries closed which was an issue because a shortage of bread prompted panic as bread is a staple food item needed for survival, people became worried they would starve.
