When the Russian Empire entered World War I in August of 1914, the Tsarist regime viewed it as a chance to renew patriotic fervor and confidence in the government. Since the institution of a weak constitutional order after the 1905 Russian Revolution, the Russian autocracy existed in a constant state of peril. A victory against … Continue reading The Soldiers’ Revolution
Tag: World War I
Out of the War and into the Revolution
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Following over 3 years of war with over 1.5 million military deaths belonging to the Russian Empire, Soviet Russia formally removed itself from World War I on March 3, 1918 with the Treaty of Bresk-Litovsk (Centre-robert-schuman). The preparations for the Treaty of Bresk-Litovsk began in December, 1917 with an armistice in the then German-occupied … Continue reading Out of the War and into the Revolution
2nd stop: Alexander Palace
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I decide to make my next stop the Alexander Palace, the last home of the last czar, Nicholas II and his family, to better understand some of the problems surrounding the February and October revolutions of 1917. I decided to get on a plane from Zindan to Saint Petersburg. While waiting for my connecting flight, I watch Anastasia […]
Revolution within the Russian Army
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Russian soldiers take to the streets to protest in Petrograd in April 1917 By 1917, three years into World War I, Russia had drafted nearly 15 million men to serve in the army; a majority of them being peasants. After years of fighting, soldiers would question why they were even fighting and just wanted to … Continue reading Revolution within the Russian Army
Dissent Among the Ranks
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Photo: http://www.dhr.history.vt.edu/modules/eu/mod03_1917/evidence_detail_20.html Soldiers with a sign saying Down with the Monarchy. The Great War for the Russians may have started out as simply a decision that had to me be made in order to be a prominent power but by 1917 there had been enough signs to show it had to end. One of the […]
From War to Revolution
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In the years leading up to the Revolutions of 1917, the Russian Empire’s status as a “great power” was increasingly insecure as a result of (among many other things) the devastating loss Russia faced in the Russo-Japanese War; the events and backlash of Bloody Sunday; as well as its innumerable losses faced in WWI. … Continue reading From War to Revolution →
The Effects of War on Civilians
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During World War I in Russia, soldiers and civilians alike, were fighting a battle that they did not understand. Men were being drafted, leaving families at home with little to no help in their survival. Although Russia entered the war with plans for victory, “the multi-lateral conflict soon developed into a protracted war of … Continue reading The Effects of War on Civilians →
Blog 2 – Tsar Nicholas II
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Tsar Nicholas II was the last emperor of Russia, ruling from 1894 to 1917 when he was abdicated. During his reign, Russia transformed from being one of the world’s great powers to a country of economic and military turmoil. Nicholas II was nicknamed Nicholas the Bloody, due to his numerous military defeats and deaths of … Continue reading Blog 2 – Tsar Nicholas II →
The Treaty of Brest Litvosk
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The Brest Litvosk Treaty was signed in the modern day city of Brest, which is located just across the Polish border with Belarus. At the time of signing though the city, then named the Brest Litvosk, was located deeply behind the German lines during World War I. While the official armistice (signing pictured above, photographed by … Continue reading The Treaty of Brest Litvosk
War and Revolution
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Russia had not had the best track record when it came to recent wars in the early twentieth century. In fact, the last war they were involved in, the Russo-Japanese War, had ended in a humiliating defeat. The Tsar and the Russian military had lost to a non-European power that they had seen as subordinate …
