The Role of World War I in the Fall of the Tsarist Regime
The assassination of Archduke Frank Ferdinand in Sarajevo led to a chain of events that saw the war get underway in July of 1914. Russia was drawn into the war by the same follies and errors of judgement that affected the other great powers of Europe: imperial rivalry, rampant nationalism, military overconfidence, and a lack of trust in diplomacy. But while Russia entered the war for similar reasons to itsEuropean neighbours, it did not do so on an equal footing. Russia’s economy was still developing and reliant on foreign investment; itsindustrial sector was incapable of competing with the powerhouse German economy. Three years of total war would exhaust the Russian economy and leave its people starving, freezing and miserable.