What factors predisposed Russia toward failure in war and end to its monarchy?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answers will vary. Russia had reached a period of conflict in the late nineteenth century, and the continuation of autocratic rule by Nicholas II, with his refusal to compromise, angered many. Particularly after the disastrous loss in the Russo-Japanese War, many called for moderation of the government by more progressive means. Nicholas refused. The Revolution of 1905 forced him to grant concessions, including the restoration of the Duma, but much in the way that Louis XVI of France had called the Estates-General, Nicholas granted no actual constitutional power to the representative body and subsequently dismissed them. By 1914, when Russia entered the war, its lack of preparation and industrialization to support the war, huge casualties, and widespread food shortages undermined the credibility of the tsar and his forces. By 1916, the losses against Germany were staggering and Russians demanded retreat from the war by any means. When Nicholas did not comply, he was forced to abdicate. The Provisional Government under the leadership of Alexander Kerensky failed to resolve the problems or get Russia out of the war. However, the return of Vladimir Lenin and the mobilization of political opposition under the Bolsheviks provided the impetus to seize control of the government. Russia then sued for peace with Germany to get out of the war and focus on the imminent Russian Civil War.