Which two defeats in 1914 destroyed Russian confidence in the army?

Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, where German forces wrecked two Russian armies in East Prussia within a few weeks of the fighting starting.

What mistake did Nicholas II make in September 1915?

He took personal command of the armed forces at the front, so every defeat from then on was blamed on him personally, and he left the running of the country to the Tsarina.

Why was Alexandra so distrusted while she governed in the capital?

She had been born a German princess while Russia was at war with Germany, and she sacked capable ministers so often that government almost stopped working.

Who was Rasputin, and why was he welcomed at court?

A Siberian peasant holy man who seemed able to stop the bleeding of the heir Alexei, whose haemophilia made the Tsarina depend on him completely.

AQA GCSE History 8145

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Russia, 1894–1945: Tsardom and CommunismPeriod study

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Russia, 1894–1945: Tsardom and Communism

The First World War and the collapse of Tsarist government

3 things to know
Paper 1 section A

Overview

Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, the shortage of equipment, Nicholas taking command, distrust of Alexandra, Rasputin, Petrograd's winter of 1916 to 1917, the food crisis, the February strikes, the garrison's mutiny and the abdication.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Why were Russian soldiers so badly equipped?

Key term

Why did the countryside stop feeding the cities during the war?

Numbers

How did Rasputin damage the standing of the Romanovs?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
Which two defeats in 1914 destroyed Russian confidence in the army?
Model answer
Tannenberg and the Masurian Lakes, where German forces wrecked two Russian armies in East Prussia within a few weeks of the fighting starting.
2
Why were Russian soldiers so badly equipped?
Model answer
Industry could not turn out enough rifles, shells and boots, and the railways could not move what was made, so men were sent forward to pick up the weapons of the dead.
3
What mistake did Nicholas II make in September 1915?
Model answer
He took personal command of the armed forces at the front, so every defeat from then on was blamed on him personally, and he left the running of the country to the Tsarina.
4
Why was Alexandra so distrusted while she governed in the capital?
Model answer
She had been born a German princess while Russia was at war with Germany, and she sacked capable ministers so often that government almost stopped working.
5
Who was Rasputin, and why was he welcomed at court?
Model answer
A Siberian peasant holy man who seemed able to stop the bleeding of the heir Alexei, whose haemophilia made the Tsarina depend on him completely.
6
How did Rasputin damage the standing of the Romanovs?
Model answer
Stories of his drunkenness, his affairs and his hand in choosing ministers convinced Russians that the dynasty was corrupt, until a group of nobles murdered him in December 1916.

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America, 1840–1895: Expansion and Consolidation

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Conflict and Tension Between East and West, 1945–1972

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