The Downfall of the Empire in 1917

Three short-term Causes

• World War I failure
• Economical breakdown
• Lenin's strong leadership

The Great War

• Russia joined the war from the very begining
• Three objectives
• 1) Take control over the Mediterranean
• 2) Expand its territory in the East/ West
• 3) Unite Russian people against a common enemy

The Great Failure

• Russian Army was big but unprepared
• Nicholas II failed as an Strategist
• Weapons and food were scarce

Consequences

• Russian Empire suffered 9,150,000 casualties
• That was 76% of its army
• Russia lost Poland and other territories to Germany
• Russian Army was humiliated,again, and gradually stop supporting the Tsar

Economical Breakdown

• In total, Russia mobilized 12 million soldiers
• Most of them were workers and farmers
• Largely, Russian workforce was either dead or fighting
• Transport was used exclusively by the Army

Consequences

• 600 factories were forced to shut down
• Food production was also stopped
• Basic products and foods were scarce
• Prices went UP

Transport

• While people in Russia went hungry
• The Army used most resources, food and medicines
• Trains were insufficient to feed people in Russia
• Essential products could not get either to cities or the front
• Coal, Food, Medicines were scarce

The symbolic defeat

• In 1915, Nicholas II undertook the army's leadership
• Left Moscow for the front
• This caused: Political Unrest, the Tsar was absent
• People felt betrayed because the Tsar seemed careless
• Army lost his support as he overstep other Generals

February Revolution

• Produced equally by short and long term causes
• The War facilitated the uprise
• Tsarism and autocracy had finally died
• Nicholas II was eliminated from the scene in a scratch
• The Army, Aristocracy, People turned their backs 

Consequences

• Army Chiefs/ DUMA forced Nicholas II to abdicate
• He appointed his son Alexei as successor
• Unable to rule, it was Grand Duke Alexandrovich
• The Duma proposed a Provisional Government to maintain order 
• A P. G. replaced the Russian Empire on March 15 1917

The Final Stage

• Lenin's Leadership
• The SPD was decomposed
• Two wings: Bolsheviks/Mensheviks
• Radicalism/ Moderates

Prior 1917

• Lenin had been exiled from the R.E
• Lived in Geneve
• He pushed for a Revolution even from abroad
• Saw the perfect moment in 1917

Why was 1917 the perfect moment?

• Russian Army was almost defeated
• P.G weakness 
• Cossacks turned their backs against the Tsar
• Bolsheviks were sufficiently organized
• Germany decided to help Lenin

Germany's Role

• In attempt to destabilize her enemys
• Germany tried provoking internal unrest 
• Supported riots in Russia/Ireland
• Reached out for Mexico
• Offered Lenin money and a train to Russia

The November Revolution