Russia in World War One
In 1914, Nicholas II was in a tight spot, and war was not an option
but a fait accompli. Russia could not stand another defeat
after the humiliation of the
Russo-Japanese War, the
Crimean War, and the
Bosnia Crisis. Nicholas II could not stand down when asked
to by William II of Germany as in the Bosnia Crisis of 1908.
The degradation was too great and revolution too prevalent. It
was decided, Russia would support their fellow Slavs in Serbia.
As Russia began to mobilize for war against Austria they were
unaware of their actions as a trigger for the German Von Schliefen
Plan. Russia had no plans for war with Germany; they were
mobilizing against Austria and Austria alone. However, any
Russian mobilization set off the Germany’s Von Schliefen Plan and
there was no way to stop it unless Russia backed down.
Russia was thrown into a war it was not prepared for. An
excess of corruption and a lack of equipment, transportation, and
training left the Russian troops poised for defeat at Tannenberg and
almost everywhere else. The first battle of the war at
Tannenberg proved disastrous. Approximately half of the best
Russian troops were captured or killed but even this was worth it
because toward the end of the battle it seemed Russia would win.
Unfortunately, in true German character, the Germans
counter-attacked and decimated the Russian troops.
Romania was encouraged to enter the war on the side of Russia.
Upon entering Romania promptly lost and the Russian front was
extended two hundred fifty miles to compensate. By extending
the Russian front the troops were fewer and further between without
hope of being able to press the advantage of their large numbers.
In 1915, Nicholas II appointed himself commander and chief of the
Russian war effort, which made him solely responsible for the
victories and defeats of the Russian army. The Russian people
could no longer play the game of “if the Czar only knew”.
Nicholas II was wholly liable for the war effort. The most principal
defeat was the loss of Poland in 1915. Poland was the center
of Russian industry and the heart of the Russian rail net.
Defeats such as Tannenberg left Poland exposed to attack and without
Poland industry failed and it was almost impossible to move anything
from here to there. This collapse in industry left soldiers
without ammunition or equipment. Even if there were equipment
it would be nearly impossible to move it from the cities to the
front. This was true of food as well. While there was
food on the farms where it was being produced it could not be
transported to the cities or the front lines. With the loss of
Poland Russia could fight only a defensive war they made no
aggressive movement after 1915.
There were no spare parts for repairs and as the soldiers at the
front suffered so did the civilians at home. The situation was
hopeless. With Nicholas II involved in the war effort, and the
nation in crisis, many of Russia’s domestic affairs were handled by
volunteer organizations such as the Red Cross.
The war was turning out to be a disaster to rival those of the
Crimean and Russo-Japanese wars. The lack of food,
transportation, and stress on industry led to worker and peasant
unrest that eventually ended in a spontaneous revolution and the
abdication of both Nicholas II and his son Alexei in 1917.
For more info on the alliances see
Triple Entente.
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Works Cited
“Romanov, Nicholas II.” Encyclopedia Americana
International Edition. 1999 ed.
“Romanov, Nicholas II.” The World Book
Encyclopedia. 1992 ed.
“Russia.”
Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 1993-1997: 2.
Microsoft Corporation.
CD-ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1997
Written by: Cori Ford
Edited by:
Paige Greco
Web Editor: Gordon Lathrop