Chapter 13

• What highlighted the poor training of Russian troops during the war?

  Fighting on the Eastern Front
• Why did Tsar Nicholas assume command of the Russian army in 1915?

  To take responsibility for military defeats
• What were the consequences of Tsar Nicholas's leadership during military defeats?

  Defeats were often blamed on his poor leadership
• Who was left in charge of the government in Petrograd during the war?

  Tsarina Alexandra
• Why was Tsarina Alexandra's rule considered disastrous?

  She was unpopular and influenced by Rasputin
• What conditions were present in Russia by winter 1916-17?

  Atrocious conditions with bread rationing and lack of fuel
• When did strikes and rioting break out in Russia?

  8th March 1917
• What were the initial demands of the strikers and rioters?

  They demanded bread and the abdication of the Tsar
• How did Tsar Nicholas respond to the strikes and riots?

  He ordered the Cossack militia to suppress them
• What was the outcome of the soldiers' response to Nicholas's orders during the riots?

  Soldiers were unwilling to shoot citizens, weakening Nicholas's position
• When did Tsar Nicholas II abdicate?

  15th March 1917
• What characterized Russia under the Provisional Government?

  The government was limited by compromises to retain power
• What was the Russian people's demand regarding the war during the Provisional Government's rule?

  They demanded an end to the war due to wartime privations
• Why couldn't the Provisional Government resign from the war?

  It would be seen as a betrayal to the allies and a strategic disaster
• What does the term "Soviet" mean?

  It is the Russian word for council
• What principles guided the Provisional Government's proclamation on 15th March 1917?

  Immediate amnesty, freedom of speech, and arrangements for a Constituent Assembly
• Who led the Bolsheviks?

  Vladimir Lenin
• How did the Bolsheviks gain power?

  By advocating for immediate Bolshevik control and promising "peace, land, and bread"
• What was the significance of the Bolshevik storming of the Winter Palace on 8th November 1917?

  It met little resistance due to the weakness of the Provisional Government
• What happened to Tsar Nicholas and his family?

  They were executed by the Bolsheviks on 17th July 1918
• How did Russia exit the war?

  Through peace negotiations with Germany in December 1917
• When was the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed?

  3rd March 1918
• What were the terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

  Russia lost territorial rights to several countries and had to recognize Ukraine's independence
• Why did Russia accept the harsh terms of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?

  Most citizens were war weary and Lenin wanted to focus on domestic issues
• Where was political power concentrated in Germany at the outbreak of war?

  In the hands of the Kaiser and military advisers
• How did the British naval blockade affect Germany internally?

  It led to rationing and significant deaths from starvation and disease
• What political division was evident in Germany in 1917?

  Socialist politicians called for a Peace Resolution, showing division between the Kaiser and elected representatives
• Who was Erich Ludendorff?

  A celebrated German general with considerable power over the Kaiser
• Why was victory for the Central Powers looking less likely from 1917?

  The allies received superior economic assistance from the USA
• What was the impact of the entry of the USA into the war?

  It made a decisive breakthrough more necessary for the Central Powers
• When did Bulgaria ask the allies for a ceasefire?

  24th September 1918
• Why was an allied ceasefire with Bulgaria disastrous for the Central Powers?

  It left Austria-Hungary exposed to enemy penetration
• What happened on 29th September 1918?

  Ludendorff admitted he had no hope for the German army regaining initiative
• What does the term "self-determination" refer to?

  The right of people of the same race or cultural background to rule themselves
• When were Wilson's 14 points announced?

  8th January 1918
• What was the purpose of Wilson's 14 points?

  To outline a vision for peace and establish democracy and self-determination
• What happened on 30th September 1918?

  A parliamentary government was established in Germany
• What did the German Chancellor request from Wilson on 3rd October 1918?

  He asked for an armistice
• What were Wilson's specific criteria for an armistice?

  Evacuation of occupied territory, end of submarine warfare, and a fully democratic government
• What was Germany's new government like in 1918?

  A constitutional monarchy similar to Britain