How Far Was the First World War the Main Cause of the Fall of the Romanovs in February 1917?

The cause of the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917 was impacted by many; these people and events include: Nicholas himself (Tsar), Alexander, Rasputin, WWI and the Russian revolution.

Some may argue Tsar Nicholas weak leadership help contributes to the Russian Revolution but World War I was be the primary cause. Tsar Nicholas was not the best leader but that did not have a big enough impact to cause the Russia Revolution because his actions did not lead to as many problems that World War I had caused. World War I had a greater impact because it led to many problems within Russia that caused the citizens to be furious.

With over a century of military and civil discontent the Romanov Dynasty was bound to fall sooner or later. The fall of the Romanov Dynasty was a result of long-term causes including Tsar Alexander’s inability to satisfy his people and Tsar Nicholas II’s inability to rule to throne all together. The collapse was also an outcome of immediate causes; the effects of World War One on Russia and the 1917 revolution. All long-term and immediate cause played a crucial role in stirring the nation until Russia was clearly overdue to be overthrown.

Russia's overthrows and shortage caused revolutionary upheaval and massive inflation, which led to deprived infrastructure. During World War I, Russian society naturally caused great dissatisfaction among the serfs. As the revolution wore on, numerous reform and Tsar Nicholas II, a ruler, tried to change Russia's social structure and government. Among the masses, there was discontentment with Russia's social system and living conditions. Laborers worked and lived in horrendous conditions, which played a crucial role in aggravating the condition of workers and peasants. As a result, peasants starved and Russia’s armies were overpowered on the battlefield because much of its terrain was occupied by enemies. Hence, Imperial Russia was a

In 1905, the social and economic tensions building up within Russia boiled over into Revolution. It was described by Lenin as the “Great Dress Rehearsal” for the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and may give us clues as to why the 1917 revolution started. The suggestion that Tsar Nicholas II and his actions were to blame for this revolution is debatable and there are many factors such as the repressive Tsarist system, the growth of opposition from the time of Alexander II and the defeat in the war with Japan to consider. These events can be separated into short and long term effects on the revolution. Bloody Sunday and defeat to Japan would be short term effects whereas the

The fall of the Romanov Dynasty in 1914 proved that the Tsar could not handle the problems of Russia. Ironically, he would have been ideal as a constitutional monarch, but was adamant against the idea. As the First World War started Russia’s problems arises, from short-term and long-term causes. The war brought back inflation which led to “demonstrations over food shortages combined with workers’ grievances,” (Hosking, 2012, p. 91) thus this destroyed Nicholas’s image as Father of Russia. Military became ineffective as the transport system was not adequate, thus leading to food supplies decreasing in key cities such as Petrograd. Historians believe the impacts of the First World War led to Russian society becoming unstable and was ultimately the main reason of the downfall of the Tsar. However other factors, such as the Tsarina placing large amounts of trust into Rasputin who was notorious for his reputation as an alcoholic and a womanizer (Westwood, 2002, p. 215) and the role of the revolutionaries due to Lenin promising peace, land and bread, eventually leading to the growth of the Bolsheviks Party. Although, it can most rightfully be deemed that the impact of the war was the main reason for the fall of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917.

The argument that the First World War led to the downfall of the Tsardom in Russia is supported by how unprepared the military were from the outset and throughout the war. Poor conditions and lack of weaponry led to low morale. Production of weapons was seriously flawed as seen in the Russian front at Gorlice, where “many soldiers had no rifles and had to wait for a comrade to be killed before taking his weapon”3. “By the end of December 1914, 6,554,000 men had been mobilized with only 4,652,000 rifles available to them”4. Furthermore the appalling conditions that were reported in the Russian trenches caused outbreaks of diseases such as typhoid and cholera creating tensions amongst Russia's “indestructible army”5. The dreadful conditions caused soldiers to turn against their

The Russian government collapsed in March 1917,and a revolution in November followed by a further military defeat brought the Russians to terms with the Central Powers via the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk which granted the Germans a significant victory After stunning Germans offensive on November 4 1918,the Austro-Hungarian empire

Whilst St Petersburg was growing and thriving around him, it seemed as though the Tsar turned his back on the requirements that come with large crowds of people such as, resources, food supplies, housing, etcetera. Due to his closed mindedness the overpopulation of factories, shortages of income and lack of basic necessities became a huge issue. The people stuck in this great poverty began to lose faith in the Tsar and once again sought for a new source of power. Another factor that adds to this cause is the fact that when the Russian society came up with the idea of a government, to help guide the Tsar towards helping his people and modernizing his laws and mindset, he refused to let the people have a say. Nicholas ultimately took away all power from what little government they did set up, called a ‘duma,’ when he set the ‘Fundamental Laws.’ These laws meant that he would overrule all of the duma’s decisions or suggestions. For example, the first law stated, “To the emperor of all the Russias belongs supreme autocratic power.” Then in 1907, the Tsar changed to voting laws to make sure that revolutionaries could not be elected. This meant that all the elected candidates were politicians that were great followers of Nicholas, meaning he got what he wanted. Consequently leaving no way of communication between Nicholas and the lower class of Russia, causing the tragic conditions to continue. As the poor became progressively poorer, malnourished and uncared for the Tsars inaction and lack of sympathy caused a radical

How far were divisions amongst opponents responsible for the survival of Tsarist rule, 1881 - 1905?

The Romanov Dynasty reigned over the nation of Russia from the year 1613 until its inevitable fall in 1917. Outlined below includes a few of the significant factors which contributed to decline and the eventual fall of this 300 year dynasty. These momentous factors range from tsar Nicholas II, the last tsar of Russia’s autocratic rule, his refusal to meet the demands for reform, and above all his incompetency as a leader.

The mess that causes the Russian Revolution The three cause of the Russian revolution was a long-term cause, short-term cause, and one in the middle. The long term cause was that the people of Russian were overwhelmed because of the population of the poor peasants. ‘'( between 1649-1861) the majority of those peasants were enserfed. They lived like slaves on land owned by noblemen.''

The government did not have a loyal army to help enforce it's power. This left a power vacuum, allowing the country to enter a civil war. This caused the government to forfeit all of the support it received before the 1917 Revolution. It also failed either to contain by force the uprisings of a new

I believe that World War I did contribute to the Russian Revolution in 1917 for many reasons. To start, Russia was experiencing financial loss during the war from supporting their army and their loss of trading through the then, Ottoman Empire, now Turkey. Because of this economic crisis, Russia began producing more currency which in turn developed inflation and rise of prices for goods on the country. Meanwhile, crop harvests had been disrupted from lack of farmers who were serving in the war and rations being shipped off to the soldiers. The country was starving from lack of food and lack of money to pay for what resources were available. While Nicholas II was neglecting the needs of his citizens, Vladimir Lenin returned to Russia and began speaking to supporters about overthrowing the Czar and pulling the country and its soldiers out of World War I, which ultimately led to his success in achieving power in Russia.

In 1917, the Russian Empire collapsed after a long reign of almost 300 years. The effects of World War I are said to have been the reason for the collapse of the once powerful dynasty. However, was Gregori Rasputin the primary reason for the fall?