To what extent were the two world wars far more important in the impact they had on Russian governments than any other wars that occurred from 1855 to 1964?

Structure of government
1. WWI
  1. Led to two major changes in Russian government. Firstly, from tsarist autocracy to liberal democracy and then from democracy to communist dictatorship
    1. The war created a power vacuum in St Petersburg as Nicholas II left for the front. In conjunction with the economic hardship, this led to the February Revolution
    2. The war prevented the Provisional Government from implementing reform such as land redistribution, industrial reorganisation and constitutional reform
      1. This was exploited by the Bolsheviks (e.g.: "Peace, Bread and Land"
    3. Optimist View
  2. However, it can also be argued that Nicholas II's unwillingness to implement reforms resulted in the emergence of the Progressive Bloc
    1. Did the war determine the outcome of the revolution, rather than cause the revolution itself?
2. WWII
  1. The structures of the Stalinist government were maintained throughout and after WWII
3. Russo-Japanese War
  1. The unrest following the Russo-Japanese War (1905 Revolution) resulted in the creation of the Duma in 1906
    1. First steps towards constitutional monarchy and democracy
  2. However, autocracy was protected in the 1906 Fundamental Laws
World status
1. WWII
  1. WWII turned the USSR into a superpower - they were instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany and therefore gained prestige
    1. The Satellite States (Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary etc.) were created
    2. The Baltic States were reabsorbed into the USSR (they had been lost under Brest-Litovsk)
  2. However, the USSR did not have the resources to succeed as a superpower and the internal decay of the USSR resulted in its fall in 1991
2. WWI
  1. The Bolshevik government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in 1918 to end the war with Germany
    1. This resulted in a huge loss of land including: Ukraine, the Baltic States, Finland, Poland and Georgia
3. The tsars' defeats in the Crimean War and the Russo-Japanese War negatively impacted Russia's world status
  1. In the Crimean War, the Russian Empire's weaknesses were exposed to the Western powers (Britain, France)
  2. The Russo-Japanese War (1905) led to particular embarrassment as Russia was defeated by an Eastern nation with they considered inferior
Ideology
1. Crimean War
  1. Alexander II ushered in a wave of liberal reforms after the Crimean War as it had shown Russia to be a backwards country
  2. Censorship was reduced (period of Glasnost, reduction in pre-censorship codes)
  3. Emancipation of the Serfs (1861)
2. The Civil War
  1. The Civil War entrenched the repressive nature of the communist regime
    1. The CHEKA was introduced in 1917 and targeted people based on who they were rather than what they did
    2. This set a precedent for repression throughout the communist period - e.g.: purges by the NKVD under Stalin
3. WWI
  1. Although WWI resulted in the shift from the tsarist regime to communism, it can be argued that these governments were very similar in terms of ideology
    1. The tsars and communists all believed in absolute control
      1. Alexander III and Nicholas II were both influenced by Pobedonostsev described democracy as: "the insupportable dictatorship of vulgar crowd"
      2. Under Stalin, a highly personalised dictatorship emerged. The cult of personality can be compared to the idea of the tsar as the 'little father'
Economy
1. WWII
  1. A fourth Five-Year Plan was introduced after the war to aid the reconstruction of the USSR
  2. Economic targets were met ahead of schedule after WWII
    1. Availability of 'free' labour - POWs, Soviet prisoners etc.
    2. External financial aid
    3. Unilateral trade agreements
2. The Cold War
  1. The Cold War put considerable strain on the economy - the nuclear arms race was very expensive
  2. Due to the nature of the Cold War, Khrushchev cut back on military spending and focused on consumer goods and light industry
3. Crimean Warn and the Russo-Japanese War
  1. Both of these wars highlighted Russia's weaknesses to increased industrialisation
  2. Investment into infrastructure and industry
  3. Expansion of the railways after the Crimean War to aid industrialisation and provide transport/communications network

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To what extent were the two world wars far more important in the impact they had on Russian governments than any other wars that occurred from 1855 to 1964?

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	Created by Delfi D about 9 years ago