Explain How Far Was The First World War Responsible For The Downfall Of The Romanovs
1391 Words6 Pages
How far was the First World War the main cause of the fall of the Romanovs in February 1917?
The First World War was one of the main causes to the Romanovs fall in February in 1917. Within the war, there were many factors, which lead to the discontent of the Russian people and a growth in opposition, which wanted to see the Tsar lose power. The economy suffered dearly due to the war as there were food shortages, inflation and the army suffered huge losses. People lost faith in the Tsar and the government due to external influences such as Rasputin having a strong hold over the Tsarina whilst the Tsar was fighting at the front and because there was so much corruption in the government. However, there were other reasons such as the problems that the Tsar faced earlier on in his reign…show more content… Overall, the main reason, which contributed, to the fall of the Romanovs in February 1917 was the First Word War.
The war was the main cause that lead to the fall of the imperial family due to four major factors. Firstly the first would war crippled the Russian economy, making them unable it to meet the demands of the population, as between 1914 – 1917 the government spending increased from four million to thirty million roubles in order to sustain the war. The government got rid of the gold standard therefore allowing them to print as many notes as possible, which in turn made the value of money practically worthless. The result of this was severe inflation, which meant that between 1914 and 1916 average earnings doubled while the price of food and fuel quadrupled which meant that the Russian people could no longer buy food and necessities to sustain themselves. Food supplies were short during the war as the requisitioning of horses and fertilisers by the military meant that it was difficult for peasants to