World War I

• From March - May 1917, there were 365000 desertions in the army.
• The initial support for the war was because of the anti-German sentiment.
• The spirit of the war was dampened when initial victories followed with defeats in the Battle of Tannenburg and the Battle of the Masurian Lakes.
• The defeats at the Battle of Tannenburg in August 1914 and the Masurian Lakes in September 1914 meant that people realised that the war would not end in a quick victory.
• Reports of military incompetence inflamed the discontent in Russia.
• Wartime organisation meant that:

  • Military zones were set up which was opposed by the Zemstva
  • The Zemstva established a 'Union of Zemstva' to provide medical facilities.
  • They combined their work with production coordination to form the Zemgor.
  • The Zemgor was chaired by Prince Lvov.
• The Zemgor was chaired by Prince Lvov in 1915.
• Nicholas II blamed the Zemgor for stirring up trouble.
• In 1915, some of the deputies from the fourth Duma organised themselves and demanded that the Tsar changes its ministers and establish a constitutional monarchy.
• Nicholas refused the idea of the constitutional monarchy.
• In September 1915, Nicholas II made himself Commander in Chief of the Russian Army and Navy.
• Nicholas making himself Commander In Chief did show bravery but he had lost the confidence of the generals and did not have the experience to turn the war effort around.
• Nicholas could not stop the influence that Rasputin had on the city because his wife was against it.
• Rasputin was murdered by the Tsar's extended family in 1916.
• The Russian government mobilised around 15 million men between 1914 and 1917 but were unable to provide basic weapons, clothing and footwear.
• The soldiers lacked artillery and had to rely on the weapons of fallen comrades in order to fight at all.
• By 1916, the army had a serious lack of experienced officers since most had been killed in the early stages of war.