Group+5-+WWI+and+the+Fall+of+the+Romanov+Dynasty

= __**WWI and the fall of the Romanov Dynasty**__ =

** Family History **

 The Romanov family ruled Russia from 1613-1855, and it was during this time that Russia became a major European power. It started with the election of Mikhil Romanov, a sixteen year old boyar (highest rank in the feudal Russian/Romanian aristocracy). Unfortunately, Mikhail was a weak leader. A large majority of his decisions were influenced by his father, Metropolitan Filaret, until his death in 1633. Mikhail passed away in 1645 and his son, Alexis, replaced him.

 Alexis was like his father in the way that they both relied on the advice of the zemskii sobor (Russian council of nobles). During Alexis’ reign, revolts occurred in 1648, 1662, and 1670 - 1671. The revolt during 1670-1671 was led by Stenka Razin, a hero for the common people, and it was probably the most famous revolt of them all. Alexis’ time in power ended in 1676. Alexis’ son, Theodore III, was ill and only ruled for six years.

Russia’s biggest and better changes were made under **//__ Peter the Great __//** . Appointed at the age of nine by the national assembly, he shared the throne and became co-ruler with his half brother Ivan at age ten. Sophia, their twenty-four year old sister, acted as a regent during the earlier years of their rule. Peter strengthened the rule of the tsar and westernized Russia during his time. He was the first Russian ruler to travel outside of Russia and learn about society. After his travels, he expanded the Russian borders, established it as a power in Europe, created the first universities in Russia and built St. Petersburg. Peter the Great also built up the army and created a navy, both of which proved to be very effective. Unfortunately, he had to have his eldest son and heir, Alexis, killed after he attempted to have Peter overthrown. He then changed the law based on hereditary principles and said that the tsar would name his successor, whether or not they had blood relation.

 Ironically, Peter died without naming anyone, and a quick succession of rulers followed; Catherine I, Peter II, Anna I, Anna II, Elizabeth I and Peter III. These leaders ruled for a few short years, some only a few months. They were unimportant and made no great changes in Russia, although the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth I, did transform //** ﻿ **// //** ﻿ ﻿St. Petersburg** ﻿// into a beautiful city.

 After twenty years of insignificant monarchs, Catherine the Great came to power. Born Sophie Auguste Frederike, she was a German princess who married Peter III. Although Peter III never really liked Russia, Catherine sought out to become more Russian. During her rule, she focused on her support of Russia and her popularity grew when she minimized European connections. During the two Russian-Turkish wars, she expanded Russia, gained portions of Poland and added Ukraine to the Russian empire. Although many of her ideas were considered very controversial in her time, she continued on and improved Russia’s culture and society. She continued to try and westernize Russia, as Peter the Great had done, and increased education by creating elementary and secondary schools, universities, and the Great Institution. She also improved medical conditions by creating vaccines; the first of which she took herself to inspire her people to do the same. Finally, she helped the lives of nobility and decreased the rights of peasants and serfs.

 When Catherine died in 1796, her mentally unstable son, Paul I, came to power. In 1801, he was killed by revolutionists supported by his own son and heir, Aleksandr I, who then replaced him.

 Aleksandr I was a strange ruler who ignored the demands made by greatly oppressed serfs, as he was heavily influenced by his Committee of Friends. During his time, he banned foreign study and the importation of foreign books, and also began to follow an obscure form of Christianity. Although Aleksandr I had brought reforms and improvements, he left behind a troubled country when he died in 1825.

 His brother, Nicholas, replaced him in 1825. He led under a more conservative reign and was very confident in the Russian military.

 In 1855, Aleksandr II took over. The son of Nicholas, he was much more kind-hearted and became known as the “The Tsar Liberator” when he freed the serfs by the Emancipation Act in 1861. (This act wasn’t necessarily the best idea at the time, but in the long run it paid off). As the people became more educated, they started criticizing their government. Although he was a well prepared heir (due to his father), Aleksandr II was rather weak in foreign policy. He was killed by an assassin's grenade in 1881.

 After Aleksandr II’s reign came the ruler known as “The Peacemaker”. Aleksandr III did well after his father; he tightened the control over the people and took away political freedom, but it was during his time that **//__Marxism__//** and many revolutionaries emerged. After his unexpected death in 1894, his son,__//** Nicholas II**//__, took over his position and knocked down the final peg of the Romanov Dynasty.

Nicholas II was a weak ruler, perhaps the weakest in all of Russia’s history. Under his reign, **//__the Socialist party__//** arose, he killed hundreds of people (“ **//__Bloody Sunday __//** ”, which led to a ﻿//**revolution in 1905**//), and turned the public opinion against him when he refused to allow the working middle class to unite or form unions. When **//__ World War I __//** began in 1914, Russia was in no shape for battle with Nicholas II as their leader. He signed away the empire in March 1917, and this led to a house arrest on him and his family. A year later, in July 1918, they were all murdered, and the Romanov Dynasty came to an end. Nicholas II

** WW1 Perspective/Tsar’s mistakes **

 __Background information__

 For 300 years the Romanovs had ruled Russia, as Tsars or Emperors. Nicholas II was next inline for the throne after his father Alexander III, in 1894 Nicholas succeeded to the throne and intended to govern as ruthlessly as his father, however he did not succeed. Though-out Nicholas’s career as Tsar he faced two serious problems in trying to rule like his father. Firstly, he did not posses Alexander’s strength of character, he was weak man, whose opinion was easily swayed by others. Secondly, Russia was rapidly changing her **//__ industries were beginning to __//**

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">**//__ spread __//**, and the number of people living in towns and working in factory’s were increasing. Foreign investors owned a lot of this new industry this was to have a serious effect on Russian factory owners and middle class businessmen. By __//**<span style="color: #800080; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px;">1913 **//__ Russia had 2.3 million industrial workers and they were not as prepared to accept poor wages and conditions as the peasants were.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> __Tsars mistake with Parliament__

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> After __//**the revolution in 1905**//__, <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"> Nicholas paid more attention to some of his more sensible advisers. He allowed Parliament // ( //__**Duma**__ //) to be elected in 1906, but as soon as they began to criticize lack of freedom and Nicholas’s ability to rule, he shut it down. After Nicholas only allowed one man,// __**Peter Stolypin**__ //, to make important changes. Between 1906 and 1911 Stolypin introduced a series of reforms, which made it easier for peasants to own their own land, but even by 1916 only 24% of//

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Peasants owned any land the rest worked for wealthy landowners.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> __Tsar’s possible involvement with Stolypin’s assassination__

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Stolypin was assassinated in 1911; some historians believe that the Tsar was involved because the assassin was later discovered to be a police agent who was posing as a revolutionary. Stolypin’s reforms to improve the lot of the peasants were effective but had not been taken far enough, that was another one of the Tsars mistakes.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> __Riots__

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> In 1912 there were over “2000” separate strikes ten times as many since 1910, seven months before the outbreak of the war in 1914 there had been “4000” outbreaks. The lack of freedom also effected and angered the middle-class people, who found that if they did not belong to the wealthy nobility their chances of rising to important posts in the government and civil services were very slim.



<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> __WW1__

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> All the problems faced before the outbreak of the war became progressively worse during the war. The Tsar foolishly made himself commander of the armed forces (Aug 1915) thus making him responsible for all string of defeats.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Russian army suffered terrible casualties in a series of defeats

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> -Hunger and lack of equipment

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> -Anti-war feelings soon grew


 * __Russian economy__** //grew behind her enemies, peasants had to be brought into the factories, which turned out to be disastrous, they didn’t not know how to work the equipment and weren’t trained properly. Industrial output fell by 50%//

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> __Tsar and his Family__

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Nicholas and his family were criticized because of their relationship with an unpleasant “monk” named Rasputin. Rasputin had a powerful influence over the Tsars wife, because of his ability to ease the suffering of her sick son. Rasputin’s influence extended to government affairs, which greatly angered the nobility. Although he was murdered in 1916 the damage to the Tsars image had already been done.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">** Voting with their feet **

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//<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> As //**__the Great War__** //proceeded it is evident Nicholas II also known as the tsar, emperor of the Romanov Dynasty and ruler of Russia was unprepared to deal with the many responsibilities he was liable for. From the beginning it seemed the fall of the Romanov Dynasty was inevitable as Nicholas ordered a general mobilisation of Russia on July 31, 1914 to take place against strong counselling for an alternative. This was a reaction to the site of war where alliances between nations erupted. Unable to lead his country, World War One and civil unrest impoverished the country and political unrest led to strikes and forming of revolutionary parties. Eventually people grew weary of Nicholas’ autocratic rule, but he would not produce useful alternatives for the peoples’ confidence or change toward a constitutional government. Soon morale plunged and the population lost faith toward the tsar, abandoning him in search for a new government. In regards to the front line, Russia had a poor military showing. With a meagre war effort soldiers found themselves questioning their purpose and many decided to desert the army.//======

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<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> At the outbreak of war as Germany declared war on Russia on August 1, 1914, Russia immediately learned that they had many soldiers, but not nearly sufficient military materials to accommodate. Untrained troops went into battle with inadequate arms and munitions, the ratio of men to weapons clearly one sided. Approximately 1.75 percent of the population were employed in factories at the time where the left rested in agriculture. Many of these farmers were given factory tasks which required experience or sent into the military. Much of Russia’s economy also relied on foreign dependence, exporting agricultural products and importing manufactured goods. War did not put the country in a commanding situation. ======

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//<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> While the Great War ensued Russia tried to take an authoritative role as //__**nationalism**__ //was still high however their military campaigns did not turn in their favour. Russia began with an invasion of East Prussia that lasted from August 22 to August 29 of 1914. They found small success due to their superior numbers, but ultimately lost and cost them nearly 250,000 men from two armies that attacked. Another defeat came at the Battle of Tannenberg which lasted three days where only 10,000 of 150,000 Russians escaped while Germany took countless prisoners. In June 1916, Russia led an offensive against Austro-Hungary with minimal achievement, falling to German reinforcements from the west. It was called to a halt in autumn of 1916 after Russia had lost nearly one million. The gruelling defeats were costly, leaving the army with significant human losses and in constant retreat. In addition, the tsar took the duty of surveying the front line troops which did not benefit the military or the social crisis stirring in Russian cities.//======

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//<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Nicholas II assumed the role of //__**commander-in-chief**__ //in September 1915. Not only were his orders unhelpful, his image worsened as people personally associated him with the continuous losses. Spending his time on// __**the Eastern Front**__ //he left his wife Alexandra in control of Russian cities. Rumour spread of the imperial family being controlled by a Siberian monk name Gregory Rasputin. He was seen as a shameless lunatic by society but as divine to Alexandra for saving her son suffering from hemophelia. This did not bode well for Alexandra’s reputation especially, since she was German-born. Even through repetitive warnings of Rasputin’s destructive influence, Nicholas refused to remove him. Rasputin’s murder was a key symbol of the populations’ discontent. The legislative party the Duma called for political reforms while others sought improvements in legislation and safety, but were ignored. Low quality tools and working conditions were given to farmers who employed over 80 percent of the nation. New opinions formed such as from// __**Vladimir Lenin**__ //who campaigned against supporting the war from his exile in Switzerland; to turn the “imperialist war into civil war”. The middle class seized to be heard with difficulties rising in a social hierarchy. Conscription became an issue as peasants were brought to war. Many units were required officers and rifles while soldiers had not undergone formal training. This left fewer labourers to work the land as more peasants were given factory jobs also. However they lacked proper skills which damaged industrial outputs.//======

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//<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Industry decreased and struggled to keep up with army demands that faced the efficient mobilisation of the German army. These factors all played roles in Russia’s losses in various battles. Russian troops became sick of war and the suffering against German victories. In addition railways used to transport troops and goods were disrupted during the winter. Overburdened by shipments of coal and supplies, they became unserviceable. The number of locomotives dropped from 20,000 to 9,000 by 1917, and railway wagons from 500,000 to 170,000. Inadequate rail transportation also meant no food was being distributed through cities. The war was not a superior prospect for Russia, losing Poland to the Germans in 1915, a center of the Russian rail system and industry. With no railway soldiers had to travel with their equipment over distances averaging 800 miles compared to German soldiers who travelled one fourth the space. Germans also moved through other important territory of Galicia. Morale stood at a critical low and these issues resulted in large desertions by the thousands. Many deserters went home to farms to take part in rumoured land redistribution and others used their weapons to take advantage of nobles. The Russian army was destroyed, nearly two million were killed, three million wounded, two million taken prisoner, and two million deserted. Regiments lost discipline as their defeats only saw rapid reserves of Germans enter from the Western Front, leaving them dismayed and refusing to move to the front line. The war of attrition was emphasized as isolated Russia saw casualties upwards of 1,400,000 in 1915 with nearly one million taken as prisoners. Russia eventually surrendered in //**__1917__** //.//======

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//<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> The home front did not see brighter outcome as the population grew reckless due to the halt of agriculture and industry. Supply amounts reached extreme lows and inflation reached 700 percent targeting food prices. //**__Strikes__** //broke out ending efforts to supply the fronts. Cold also struck the city leaving hungered citizens to burn furniture as a resource.// __**The February Revolution**__ //in Petrograd sparked a general strike in 1917 as stores and businesses were raided. The tsar’s government advised him to return to the capital and deal with the situation but he failed to do so. He ordered police officers to restore order which resulted in civilian shootings. Police retaliated by joining strikers and disarming their officers. This affair scaled a rebellion including buildings set on fire and prisoners being freed. Nicholas ordered more soldiers to stop the strikers but they disobeyed and returned to their barracks. Nicholas realized his position and agreed to abdicate the throne. As his brother Michael refused the throne, 300 years of Romanov rule was ended, leaving the Duma in charge to form two provisional governments: one led by// __**Prince Georgi Lvov**__ //, the other by// __**Aleksandr Kerensky**__ //. They agreed to make Russia a democracy which was supported by many. This paved a road for Lenin and the Bolsheviks who came into power that same year, establishing the first communist government.//======

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<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Russia put an effort against its opposing forces in the Great War but soon found itself in an uncomfortable position. Due to factors such as poor training and munitions shortages, Russia was desperate to find alternatives. Quick solutions did not bode well as peasants and farmers were relied on to maintain a stable army and industrial output whom did not carry proper experience or training. Supply shortages from malfunctioning railway lines had large affects and combined with continual military defeats to overwhelm soldier morale. Repeated breakdowns were humiliating and thousands found desertion of the army as their solution. In a figurative manner, the people on the home front voted with their feet by abandoning Nicholas II whose decisions were not constructive and did not meet the needs of the suffering population. He was ignorant to most happening and it was not until uprisings were inevitable that he became aware to the scale of the disturbances. Revolts commenced with changes being demanded in work environments and conditions, the result being an entirely new government. Two provisional governments were put in place that was taken over by Lenin who favoured bringing support out of the war and made promises the people wanted to hear. This marked a revolution and the end of the Romanov Dynasty and its reign over Russia for 300 years. ======

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal 'Lucida Grande'; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">** Questions/Opinion: **

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> In your opinion, what was the Tsar’s biggest mistake, which would lead to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty?

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> His biggest mistake was when he appointed himself commander of the Russian army forces in August 1915, thus making him responsible for all string of defeats. These defeats included anti-war feelings, starvation, lack of equipment and the fall of their economy.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Was the fall of the Royal Family inevitable? Support your answer.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Yes, the fall of the Royal Family was inevitable because they started with a weak leader (Mikhail Romanov) and were never consistently good after that. Many leaders, (such as Paul I, Aeksandr I, Aleksandr III, Nicholas II, etc.) made bad decisions that affected Russia’s army, contributed to the battles lost, and caused the people to revolt multiple times over the course of history.

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;">** Bibliography: **

<span style="display: block; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Websites

// 1) 1917, the end of, and the Bolsheviks. "Russia and World War One." //History Learning Site//. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. < [|__http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/russia_and_world_war_one.htm__] >.//

// 2) "Romanov Dynasty." //Guide to Russia//. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. < [|__http://www.guidetorussia.com/romanov-dynasty.asp__] >.// // 3) "Romanov Dynasty." //Russia//. Minnesota State University, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2010. < [|__www.mnsv.edu/emuseum/history/russia/romanov.html__] >.//

// 4) "Russia and the First World War ." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. < [|__http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSfww.htm__] >.//

// 5)"Russia in World War I." //Chico Unified School District - CUSD Main - CUSD Homepage - CUSD Homepage //. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. < [|__http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/russia/Nick_II/wwi.htm__] >.//

// 6)"Russia-InfoCentre :: THE ROMANOVS DYNASTY :: History :: Culture & Arts." //Russia-InfoCentre ::// . N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. < [|__http://russia-ic.com/culture_art/history/150/__] >.

Books 1) Neil De Marco, __The World this Century working with evidence__, London: Collins Educational, 1987.