Cause#4: Czar Nicholas ll’s Military Woes
Popular support for a country’s leader has always depended largely on their success as a military leader. Czar Nicholas ll experienced serval disappointments which turned the peasants and workers against him. The Russo-Japanese War and World War 1 showed the Czar’s weakness and paved the way for revolution.
In the late 1800s, Russia and Japan were imperialist powers. Both competed for control of Korea and Manchuria. The two nations signed a series of agreements over the territories, but Russia broke them. In retaliation, Japan attacked the Russians at Port Arthur, Manchuria, in February 1904. Though Russian soldiers and sailors went confidently to war, the Japanese defeated them. News of repeated losses sparked unrest at home and led to revolt in the midst of the war.
In 1914, Nicholas ll made the fateful decision to drag Russia into World War 1. Russia was unprepared to handle the military and economic costs. Russia’s weak generals and poorly equipped troops were no match for the German army. Before a year had passed, more than 4 million Russian soldiers had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner. German machine guns mowed down advancing Russians by thousands. Defeat followed defeat. As in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia’s involvement in World War 1 revealed the weakness of czarist rule and military leadership.
The war was destroying the morale of Russian troops. Soldiers mutinied, deserted, or ignored orders. On the home front, food and fuel supplies were dwindling. Prices were wildly inflated. People from all classes were clamoring for change and an end to the war. Neither Czar Nicholas nor Czarina Alexandra proved capable of tackling these enormous problems.
Question: Why were the Russian people unhappy with their country’s involvement in World War 1?
