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With the coinciding of a revolution on the brink of eruption and the impacts of the First World War beginning to take hold of Russia, considered analysis of the factors that may have contributed to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty is imperative, as a combination of several factors were evidently lethal. With the final collapse of the 300 year old Romanov Dynasty in 1917, as well as the fall of Nicholas II, a key reality was apparent; the impact that WWI had on autocratic obliteration was undeniable. However, reflection of Russia’s critical decisions prior is essential in the assessment of the cause of the fall of the Romanov Dynasty. No war is fought without the struggle for resources, and with Russia still rapidly lagging behind in the international industrialisation race by the turn of the 20th century, the stage was set for social unrest and uprising against its already uncoordinated and temporally displaced government. With inconceivable demands for soldiers, cavalry and warfare paraphernalia, Russia stood little chance in the face of the great powers of World War One. Shortages of basic human necessities led to countless subsistence riots and the eventual power struggle between the ruling body and its people. From the beginnings of WWI to 1916, prices of essential goods rose 131 percent in Moscow and more than 150 percent in Petrograd. Additionally, historian Walter G. Moss stated that in September 1915 that “there were 100,000 strikers in Russia; in October 1916, there were 250,000 in Petrograd alone.” Moss continues to exemplify the increasing evidence of social unrest and connects the riots to a lack of resources when he goes on to point out that “subsistence riots protesting high prices and shortages… also increased.” ... ... middle of paper ... ...orld War.com - Primary Documents - Tsar Nicholas II Takes Command of Russian Armies, 5 September 1915. [online] Firstworldwar.com. Available at: . Engel, B., 1997. Not by Bread Alone: Subsistence Riots in Russia during World War I*. The Journal of Modern History, 69(4), pp.696--721. Horne, C., 2014. Source Records of the Great War. 3rd ed. Lewiston, New York: E. Mellen Press. Moss, W., 2014. A History of Russia Volume 2: Since 1855. 1st ed. London, England: Anthem Press London, pp.112-113. Trotsky, L., 2014. The Overthrow of Tzarism and the Triumph of the Soviets. In: L. Trotsky, The Russian Revolution, 1st ed. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. Trueman, C., 2014. Russia and World War One. [online] Historylearningsite.co.uk. Available at: .
One of the first and most vital sources utilized was Not By Bread Alone by Barbara Engel. This article comes from Barbara Alpern Engel who is a historian who has wrote several books on Russian women and specifically Russian women during the early 1900s. The book appears in the larger journal The Journal of Modern History. The purpose of this article is to expound on the subsistence riots in WWI era Russia and the ones that lead to the Russian Revolution. A value of this source is her specialization, it seems, in Russian history from 1700 onwards. She has wrote several other books on Russian history and thus she has a greater knowledge than most on the subject. A limitation of this article maybe since she
Tucker, Robert C. "The Mortal Danger". Course Reader for World Culture: Russia Since 1917. New York University, Spring 2001.
In the years leading up to the fall of the three hundred year old Romanov dynasty there was increasing tension building up in Russia. The failing of Russia in the war, the failings of the tsar and his decisions, and the social and economic situations in Russia all played a part in the fall. Still it is believed that the First World War had played the biggest part in the fall of the dynasty.
While most of Europe had develop strong central governments and weakened the power of the nobles, Russia had lagged behind the times and still had serfs as late as 1861. The economic development that followed the emancipation of peasants in the rest of Europe created strong industrial and tax bases in those nations. Russian monarchs had attempted some level of reforms to address this inequality for almost a century before, and were indeed on their way to “economic maturity” (32) on par with the rest of Europe. But they overextended themselves and the crushing defeats of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and the First World War in 1917 lost them the necessary support from their subjects and created “high prices and scarcity” which were by far “the most obvious factors in the general tension”
Fiehn, Terry, and Chris Corin. Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin. London: John Murray, 2002. Print.
Poor Living and Working Conditions as the Reason for Bolsheviks' Seizure of Power in 1917
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 catastrophe. Some scholars believe that despite the Russian empire's undeveloped economic, social, and political weakness during World War I, Russian empire's economic and social advances occurred decades before World War I, which shows that World War I was not a crucial reason of the Russian Revolution. Although a reason of the Russian Revolution was possibly Tsar's deprived governance because of his misconduct towards inhabitants, the main cause of the Russian Revolution was World War I because The First War demonstrated poor infrastructure in the Russian government politically and economically.
In recognizing that state failure and social collapse can occur simultaneously, Sanborn shows how these processes are built from many aspects of society that interact. The mass refugee movement from the front zones pushes into the center, Sanborn states that in 1915 there were 3 million refugees in Russia. As the refugees migrated east, the examples of how Russian society became increasingly focused on ethnopolitics or mobilized ethnic sentiment with deportations, ethnic violence, and intensified the social and state crises in Russia. Sanborn argues that the growing social crisis was only enhanced by the state crises occurring with the Tsar’s government failing at winning the war or even functioning as a
During the socio-economic adversity of the World War I, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated his throne and the 300-year reign of the Romanovs came to the end. Nicholas II faced copious difficulties during the holding of his monarchical sovereignty. There were both domestic and international obstacles during his time. Although it certainly was an unprecedentedly terrible circumstance for an authoritarian like Nicholas to rule due several revolutionary movements, he, himself, was actually self-destructive, and was responsible for the fall of the Romanovs. He was not a victim of history, but the victim of his on weakness. His weakness counts for the strong belief in God-given rights, the stubbornness to win the war, and his incapability. We witnessed Russia
Acton, Edward, and William Rosenberg. Critical Companion to the Russian Revolution, 1914-1921. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1997
The resignation of Nicholas II March 1917, in union with the organization of a temporary government in Russia built on western values of constitutional moderation, and the capture of control by the Bolsheviks in October is the political crucial opinions of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The actions of that historic year must also be viewed more broadly, however: as aburst of social strains associated with quick development; as a disaster of political modernization, in relations of the tensions sited on old-fashioned traditions by the burdens of Westernization; and as a social disruption in the widest sense, concerning a massive, unprompted expropriation of upper class land by fuming peasants, the devastation of outmoded social patterns and morals, and the scuffle for a new, democratic society.
This essay examines the role of tzar within the fall of the Romanov dynasty. Tsar Nicholas II roles had contributed in the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty. He wasn’t the main reason for the decline of the romanov dynasty, but he was a part of it.
Wood, A. (1986). The Russian Revolution. Seminar Studies in History. (2) Longman, p 1-98. ISBSN 0582355591, 9780582355590
Historically, Russia has repeatedly relied on rapid and drastic reforms to catch up to the modern Western world. Sometimes these reforms were successful, and sometimes they failed. Peter the Great’s reign is an example of successful reform, while Alexander II’s is an example of failed reform. The success of Peter’s reforms led to Russia’s rise as an imperial power, and player on the international stage, especially in Eastern Europe. On the other hand, the failure of Alexander II’s reforms eventually led to Tsarist Russia’s collapse, and the rise of the Soviet Union. Clearly, Russian reforms had an impact on world history, and must be studied as a result. This paper will seek to explain why Alexander II’s reforms failed. This will be done
Kort, Michael. "Reform, Reaction, and Revolution in Russia." Facts on File. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2014.