The Eastern Front in World War One

• To learn about Russia’s involvement in World War One

• To relate this to pre-existing tensions in Russia

Produced by By Mr. Osborne with some small adaptations by Mr. Wright

Assassination in Serbia

Think back to when you studied the causes of World War One. How did the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand II increase tension

between Russia and Austria-Hungary?

The Schlieffen Plan

Think back to when you studied the start of World War One. What was the Schlieffen Plan? What

effect did this have on Russia?

The Schlieffen Plan

• Germany had drawn up plans for war in Europe

• The Germans planned to attack France quickly and defeat the French before they could mobilise their troops

• This would prevent the Germans having to fight a war on two fronts

• The plan failed because British and French troops were able to slow the German advance, and force them into fighting trench warfare

• See the Schlieffen plan animation click here!

Russian Mobilisation

Think back to when you studied the causes of World War One. What advantage did Russia have

over all the other armies in Europe?

Russian Mobilisation

• Russia had an enormous military by comparison to the other European nations (it had around 1.3 million soldiers, compared to Germany’s 900,000)

• However, the Schlieffen plan only gave Russia about 6 weeks to fully mobilise their army to repel a German attack

• Many Russian soldiers were sent to fight poorly trained and equipped

The Tsar’s Popularity

What effect do you think the start of World War One had on Tsar Nicholas

II’s popularity?

The Tsar’s Popularity

• At the beginning of World War One, despite the problems in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II’s popularity soared

• The threat of war increased Russians sense of patriotism

• Tsar Nicholas II was seen as the leader of the nation

• Consequently, Tsar Nicholas II made himself Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army

The February Revolution

1917

The fall of the Tsar

By Mr Osbornewww.SchoolHistory.co.uk

The impact of WWI

• Military Defeats

– Russian army was big but poorly equipped

– Lost two major battles in 1914

– Caused loss of civilian and military morale

– Tsar now held responsible for the defeats as he had taken charge of the army

The Battles of Tannenburg and Masurian Lakes

• To learn about Russian defeats in World War One• To understand how these effected the opinion of

the Russian population

Early Success

• The First Army, led by General Rennenkampf, and the Second Army, led by General Samsonov were told to invade East Prussia (part of Germany)

• General Samsonov forced the Germans to retreat

• General Rennenkampf defeated the Germans at the Battle of Gumbinnen

A Change In German Tactics

• The Germans replaced their commander, Prittwitz, with Generals Ludendorff and Hindenburg

• They decided that attack was the best form of defence, and mounted an offensive

The Battle of Tannenburg

• By August 22nd the Germans had stabilised their position and by the 29th they had surrounded Samsonov’s army

• The Germans intercepted a message revealing that Rennenkampf’s army would not be marching to assist Samsonov, and moved in to attack

• The message also contained Samsonov’s plan of attack, so the Germans could prepare for this

The Battle of Tannenburg (cont)

• The Russians found themselves surrounded, and unable to retreat back to Russia without having to fight

• Samsonov ordered a breakout, but this was very costly• Of the 150,000 men in the Second Army, only 10,000

managed to escape• However, this helped their allies on the Western Front

because the Germans had to move their troops

The Battle of Masurian Lakes

• The Russians had planned a pincer movement to encircle the Germans

• Due to Samsonov’s defeat at Tannenburg, the Rennenkampf’s army was in a much weaker position

• Another defeat like Tannenburg would secure the German border, and allow the Germans to send troops back to the Western Front

The Battle of Masurian Lakes (cont)

• The German army attacked on September 7th, outnumbering the Russians 3 to 1

• The Russians decided to withdraw, but left two divisions behind to slow the German advance and allow the Russians time to escape

• The ensuing battle cost the Russians 125,000 men and 150 artillery guns

Why did these battles help to cause the Russian Revolution?

• Who was the Russian Commander-in-Chief?• What happened to the patriotic feeling at the

start of the war?• How did it make the Russian military feel?

Impact of WWI

Criticism of the Tsar

Poor military commander

Poor political leader

Left the Tsarina in charge of the government

Refused to accept advice from the Duma

Criticism of the Tsarina

Inexperienced and incompetent ruler

Under the influence of Rasputin

Unpopular because she was German

Role of Rasputin

Claimed to be a healer. Disliked by many yet held influence over both the Tsar and Tsarina

Economic problems

• Over 15 million men joined the army

• not enough workers in factories and farms

• caused shortages of food and materials

• Railway system very poor– could not supply the troops– could not supply the towns– food prices rose

Impact WWIImpact WWI

Social discontent

• Food shortages and price rises caused widespread discontent

• The war had seen the population move from the countryside to the cities

• The cities soon became overcrowded and people lived in terrible conditions

Impact WWIImpact WWI

Events of the Revolution

• Feb 22 20,000 steelworkers on strike

• Feb 23 Women take to the streets to demonstrate

• Feb 25 Now over half of Petrograd is on strike

• Feb 26 Tsar orders troops to fire on crowds- 40 killed

Events of the Revolution• Feb 26 Tsar closes the Duma

• Feb 27 Soldiers mutiny and establish the Petrograd Soviet with workers and sailors

• Feb 28 Tsar returns to Petrograd

• March 1 Tsar loses support of army

• March 2 Tsar abdicates

• March 3 Grand Duke Michael refuses throne

Results of February revolution

The Provisional Government

1. A 12 member government led by Kerensky

2. Planned to rule until elections could be held

The Petrograd Soviet

A council of 2,500 deputies.

Determined to share power with the Provisional Government

Dual Government