Publication Date
2025
Subject Area
Section 4: War and More ...
Abstract
This paper looks at the substantial role the Russian Military played in the events leading up to and during the February Revolution in 1917 in Russia. It looks at the military history of Russia prior to the February Revolution (from Peter the Great-Nicholas II) and how certain decisions and events in that timespan created a military that was completely unprepared for the total war of WWI. The paper takes closer looks at the Crimean War and the Russo-Japanese War/1905 Revolution, in which significant changes in the military occurred but, as is seen in the outcome of WWI, were not enough to effectively place Russia's military on par with other major European powers. This paper also delves into the political and social status of Russia's peasantry, which made up the large majority of Russia's fighting force. Ultimately, Russia's military lacked professionalization and modernization that left it vulnerable long before WWI. The builders (The Tsars) of the creation were the ones to blame for its poor durability and were the ones to pay the ultimate price for it.
