Russian Empire

Before/During/After WWI
Before:

Russian Empire was the largest country in Europe with population of 125 million
people.
Russia was ruled by a monarch Tsar Nicholas II. He believed his throne to be
ordained and protected by God. Tsar was in charge of making all decisions.
Russia just started its industrial growth in the late 1800, and was way behind
other European countries.
In 1905, Russia lost a war to Japan, which they thought was easily winnable.
Instead they faced a humiliating defeat.
Russias defeat in Russo-Japanese War resulted in a revolution. It was driven by
liberal groups, industrial workers, and others who wanted political modernisation.
Even though the Tsar promised liberal civil rights and democratically elected
Duma, he left everything as it was.
Russia was showing interest in the Balkans and Ottoman Empire hoping to
increase its influence in the region.
Russia acted as a protector of Serbia and encouraged their nationalist movement
against Austro-Hungarian Empire.

During:

Because Nicholas didnt keep him promise, anti-government sentiment and

unrest started to build again. At the beginning of July, 1914 around 12,000
workers fed up with low wages and dangerous conditions, marched in the capital,
where they were fired on by tsarist soldiers. Two were killed, many were injured
but the government pretended that nothing happened.
After the accident, more than four-fifths of St. Petersburgs industrial
manufacturing and commercial plants were paralyzed. But that changed in early
August 1914 by a rousing wave of patriotism.
More than 95% of conscripts reported willingly for duty. Russia entered the WWI
with the largest army in the world.
Even though Russia had the biggest army, troops were not adequately prepared
or supplied. Many left for the front without critical equipment, including weapons,
ammunition, boots, or bedding.
By fall of 1915 an estimated 800,000 soldiers had died, yet the Russian army had
failed to gain any significant territory. Anti-war propaganda, and Bolshevik
movement started to spread across Russia.
In September of 1915, the Tsar took command of the army even though he had
no experience of strategic warfare.

The conscription of millions of men resulted in labour shortage on peasant

landholdings, decline in food production and inflation.

After:
In the beginning of 1917 new wave of protests broke out. Tsar ordered to shoot at
demonstrators in the streets. His orders triggered the February Revolution.
The Tsar and the aristocracy fell on March 2, as Nicholas II gave up the throne.
When the Duma created new Provisional Government, socialists organized
elections among workers and soldiers to form a soviet to bring that government
down. Soviets throughout the country joined to create a national movement.
When Vladimir Lenin returned from exile he seized control of the government and
drove provisional government into exile. These events would become known as
October Revolution.
In December of 1917, Lenin and his troops dissolved the national Constituent
Assembly after they refused to approve the Bolsheviks and all the evidence of
democracy were removed.
When Lenin removed the opposition, he ended Russias participation in WWI.
After Bolsheviks gained total control, new struggle broke out between new and
old regime. This led to Russian Civil War which the Bolsheviks won in 1921, and
created a Soviet Union on December 30, 1922.