Why did Russia go to war in 1914? ′
August 1st 1914, marked the beginning of World War I in Russia when Germany declared war on it. The world war I impacted many nations and shaped the world in a number of ways. The Russian Empire entered the war as a powerful and vast state but at the end of the war the great Russian empire crumbled. Tsar died during this period and a new faction that would change the course of the Russian history was in power. For over three hundred years the Romanov family remained in power in Russia and built one of the world’s greatest empires. In the beginning of the 20th century Tsar Nicholas II was in power and a midst the many economic problems and social unrest, Tsar formed secret alliances with France and promised to go to war if either France or Russia was attacked by the industrialized Germany and Austria-Hungary. It is in 1941 that all hell broke loose. The world war I did not only bring a sudden end to the old-world order but also provided a defining image of the horrors of war while giving rise to the many disputed borders and country conflicts that are still very much dominant in today’s world [1]. The great war did not only impact Russia but claimed the lives of 17 million people world-wide, traumatised a generation, overturned and brought an end to empires changing the political order forever. The causes of this great war in countries such as Russia have been debated a century on but time has led to some clarity.
In 1913 Tsar Nicholas II ruled over a huge dynasty and enjoyed the freedom of being the sole leader. The empire stretched from central Europe to the Pacific Ocean and to the borders of Afghanistan. By 1914 Russia Was not prepared for war considering that nine years ago Russia had been defeated by Japan. The revolts that happened in the country has shaken the empire and was politically unstable. In 1914 Europe was divided into two rival alliance systems[2]. The unification of countries in the continent dramatically altered the balance of power in Europe. Looking back to the period between 1873 and 1887 Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary had allied together with the league of the three emperors and in the Reinsurance Treaty but with time these two collapsed as a result of the competing interests of Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans[3]. France took advantage of this to ally itself with Russia.
A Serbia nationalist group referred to as the Black Hand executed the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne This murder gave rise to international diplomatic problems that were commonly referred to as the July Crisis[4]. All the secret alliances that were formed between nations begun to take effect as empires disagreed on this murder. In retribution Austria demanded the impossible from Serbia and subsequently declared war. Russia aligned itself with Serbia and mobilized its army at the border and in return Germany declared war on Russia out of support for Austria and France declared war on Germany because of its alliance to Russia. Just like that the secret alliances fell into place and Europe was at war. According to Gary Sheffield a war historian war came to Europe not by accident but by design. According to him war begun for reasons such as; the decision makers in Vienna and Berlin choose to pursue a course that they had high hopes that it would bring about significant political advantages but war was going to be one of the consequences of this course and because the government in the involved states rose to the challenge of war. Throughout the crisis in Russia Britain could not interfere in the war and had no obligation to fight alongside Russia.[5]. Europe at large was dragged into war while countries were forced to stand and fall with each other.
Austria-Hungary was prepared to risk war with Serbia since it had the guaranteed support of Germany. It was the believe of many nations in the 19th and 20th century that having a strong army that was a symbol of military strength was important and part of the symbols of being a great power[6]. Russia had a great army and it was a sign of great power and they had every expectation to win the war. Germany had one war plan which was to defeat France before defeating the allies of France. The Generals of France feared Russia’s power and were ready to strike before Russia had the upper had in the war. On July 30th Russia ordered its forces to prepare for war. This was a precaution that the country put in place in case war broke out. On July 31st Germany issued out an ultimatum to Russia with demands that it demobilises its army, the ultimatum expired without any reply forcing Germany to declare war on Russia. Germany has also sent out an ultimatum to France demanding its neutrality in the event of war between Russia and Germany[7]. However, as a result of the alliance between France and Russia, France knew it had to stand or fall with Russia.
Germany did not strike Russia at first and moved against France sending its main armies through Belgium to strike Paris. The Belgium invasion forced Britain to come to Belgium’s aid[8]. Soon Turkey came to support Germany and Italy joined the Allied side. The Russian mobilization made Germany feel threatened by Russia and upon refusal of the ultimatum issued Germany gathered its armies and declared war on Russia on August 1st 1914 [9]. Russia took offense against both Germany and Austria-Hungary. Over the century historians have agreed that the poor quality of Russia’s leadership might have contributed to the occurrence of war in the country. Tsar Nicholas II was responsible for making all the final decisions on the major issues affecting the nation. The leader was given conflicting advice and typically made all the wrong decisions and dragged the country into war. Tsar had set up a weak and flawed organizational structure that was inadequate and could not sustain the high pressure and demands of war.
David Stevenson, a British historian points out that among the many mistakes that brought Russia to war was that the civilians and generals were not in contact with each other thus the government was not aware of its fatal weakness and thus continued to remain out of touch with the public opinion of civilians. Russia’s decision to go to war can be referred to as a tragedy of miscalculations. Russia was resting on the assumption that it was possible to prevent a domestic breakdown while still at war and each of the involved countries hopped for success. Sergey Sazanov who was the Russian foreign minister was a powerful person but he felt insecure to advance his position and the critical stage of the July crisis he displayed inconsistency and failed to grasp the international realities of the matter [10]. Tsar fired Sazonov in July 1916. This was met with ridicule form the French ambassador although he constantly promised that France would go to war alongside Russia. Serious planning on how to handle a future war was impossible given the complex priorities that are given to royalty. At one critical and crucial time in 1915 the grand Duke Nicholas failed terribly forcing the Tsar to take control of the entire army despite his many military incompetence[11]. The lack of proper and well-advised leadership is one of the reasons that led to war in Russia.
As mentioned earlier Russia heavily relied on the French alliance and was hopeful of emerging successful in the war, this also counts as a reason why Russia went to war. Russia was sure that a two-front war against Germany was winnable. The French ambassador Maurice Paleologue hated Germany and had France ally with Russia to fight Germany in full agreement with President minister Raymond Poincare who was a close trustee [12]. The support of France towards Russia was an accelerating factor that pushed Russia to the blink of war since the country was sure to win the war.
The fight in Russia could have been as a result of a family feud between the rulers of Britain, Germany and Russia who were cousins; the rulers were George V, Kaiser, Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas II. According to a BBC documentary Royal Cousins and War these three politically disagreed and had strained relationships. Unlike, many family feuds the disagreement between these three cousins exacted a geopolitical price. As the relationship between these three cousins deteriorated so did the political relationship between these countries[13]. Queen Victoria had attempted to broker peace between the three cousins but with her death the conflict between these three continued. The battle of wits between these countries accelerated and was disastrous for all the monarchs, including Russia. By the end of 1918 Tsar’s children were murdered by revolutionaries.
Conclusion
On August 1st 1914, Germany declared war on Russia marking the beginning of the first world war. The war was responsible for shaping the political course of many nations in Europe and among these nations Russia. By 1913 Tsar Nicholas II ruled over a huge dynasty that was not prepared for war considering the defeat the empire had suffered at the hands of Japan. The murder of the Archduke Franz who was the heir to the Austria-Hungary by a Serbia nationalist group is regarded as the main cause of the great war. Afterwards Austria-Hungary issued a list of ultimatums to Serbia. However, Serbia could not meet these demands. Serbia was an ally of Russia and Russia promised its support to the country. Germany an ally of Austria-Hungary rose to support its ally. France an ally of Russia and an enemy of Germany rose in return to support Russia. It is also believed that the war was caused by the long-standing family feud between the three rulers of Britain, Germany and Russia who were first cousins. The war was not only taking place in Russia but in Europe at large. At the end of the war Tsars children were murdered and the Russian empires was among the three empires that fell before the end of the war.
Bibliography
Anievas, Alexander. "1914 in world historical perspective: The ‘uneven’and ‘combined’origins of World War I." European Journal of International Relations 19, no. 4 (2013): 721-746.
Clark, Christopher M. 2013. The sleepwalkers: how Europe went to war in 1914.
Engelstein, Laura. 2018. Russia in flames war, revolution, civil war, 1914-1921.
Imperial War Museums, How the World Went to War In 1914. Retrieved from: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-the-world-went-to-war-in-1914
International Encyclopedia, War Aims and War Aims Discussions (Russian Empire), Retrieved from https://encyclopedia.1914-1918- online.net/article/war_aims_and_war_aims_discussions_russian_empire
Lieven, D. C. B. 2016. The end of tsarist Russia: the march to World War I and revolution.
Martel, Gordon. 2014. The month that changed the world: July 1914. http://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.32334.
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MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism, WWI – Russia, Retrieved from: https://www.marxists.org/glossary/events/w/ww1/russia.htm
Sanborn, Joshua A. "Unsettling the empire: violent migrations and social disaster in Russia during World War I." The Journal of Modern History 77, no. 2 (2005): 290-324.
Seton-Watson, Hugh. 1990. The Russian empire, 1801-1917. Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press.
Stone, David R. 2015. The Russian Army in the Great War: the Eastern Front, 1914-1918.
Wohlforth, William C. "The perception of power: Russia in the pre-1914 balance." World Politics 39, no. 3 (1987): 353-381.
[1] Imperial War Museums, How the World Went to War In 1914), np
[2] Wohlforth, The perception of power, 353-381.
[3] McMeekin, The Russian origins of the First World War, 10
[4] Martel, the month that changed the world, 49
[5] Engelstein, Russia in flames war, 36
[6] MIA: Encyclopedia of Marxism, WWI – Russia, Retrieved from, n.p
[7] Lieven. The end of tsarist Russia, 66
[8] Stone, The Russian Army in the Great War, 47
[9] Sanborn "Unsettling the empire, 290-324.
[10] International Encyclopedia, War Aims and War Aims Discussions, n.p
[11]Clark, The sleepwalkers, 87
[12] Anievas, in world historical perspective, 721-746.
[13]Hugh, The Russian empire, 1801-1917, 102
