The Russian Army
The Battle of Tannenberg signalled the beginning of "unrelenting" defeat for the Russian Army, who would face further problems.
There were a number of reasons for the Russian army's unrelenting defeat. 1. Russia was inadequately prepared for modern war. Russia had underestimated the needs of the army and factories could not produce enough ammunition. The Battle of Tannenberg alone contributed to a massive loss of weapons and army commanders were still using outdated plans. As the war wore on, the Russian army became more poorly equipped with some fighting barefoot because of a shortage of boots. Only one in three had a rifle. By the end of 1915, Russia had suffered 3.5 million casualties (Dennett & Dixon, 2008). Even though the Russians had a significant numerical advantage, the Germans were more experienced and well supplied (as seen in the Battle of Tannenberg). 2. The Tsar chose to become the Commander in Chief of the army The Tsar has a "romantic" vision of war and leading the army on the Eastern Front. This would affect Russia because "the German", Alexandra, was left in charge back on the homefront, much to the dismay of many Russians who believed she was heavily influenced by Rasputin. Further, many people begun to personally blame the Tsar for the ongoing defeats. |
Activity 1
Read the following excerpts and answer the questions.
Activity 2 Read through these sources and then answer the following questions.
Activity 3 Watch this video and answer the following questions:
Activity 4 Evaluate the impact of WW1 on the fall of the Tsarist regime. (1.5 pages handwritten to be submitted to the teacher in two weeks. Use the sources provided above to support your response). |