Russia, even before 1914, was in the clutches of a corrupted autocracy ruled by a weak Tsar, which was being boycotted and criticized by a growing group of revolutionaries and hostility among poor peasants and urban works. These pre-war conditions got triggered and aggravated in and during the war, leaving several scars. The patriotic nationalistic Pan Slavism feeling that heralded the war in 1914 was soon replaced by fast eroding support for the aristocracy. The provisional government by Duma politicians led Russia through the war, but was gradually overtaken by the radical socialist Lenin, who led the Bolshevik Revolution based on Marxist principles. Russia saw a highly unstable government during this decade until 1924. The fast-spreading communalism and socialism had replaced autocracy and nationalism. When Lenin signed the Treaty of Brest–Litovsk in March 1918, war had still not ended for Russia. (Russia Timeline, 1855-1924, n.d.). Nation-wide bloodshed, public murder of the aristocrats, war under communalism, the civil war, formation of USSR, and the introduction of new economic policies followed closely, driving the nation to its edge. This era ended with the death of Lenin and rise of Stalin, which was another horror in the Russian history. The worse effect of the First World War was on the living conditions, there was a desperate shortage of food, goods, fuel, and men due to military death, coupled with rising inflation and unemployment. The Bread riot in St. Petersburg is a shameful example. The country’s economy plunged deep in poverty, with insufficient production in the agricultural and industrial sector. The reason behind and the impact of many a battle Russia saw and went through, was starvation and strains of everyday living.
Works Cited
Russia Timeline, 1855-1924. IB History-Russia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sites.google.com/site/ibhistoryrussia/russia-timeline-1855---1924
The Spanish Civil War was essentially a domestic matter that rapidly became an international issue. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
The Spanish Civil War (SCW, 1936–1939) resulted from the extreme differences between the Nationalists or the rebels and the Republican government of Spain, involving parties like the Church, military, urban workers, landowners, and educated masses, who were divided in their views on monarchism, conservatism, liberalism, and socialism. Although the unrest was deep-rooted and waiting to explode, it was a military uprising in July 17, 1936 that triggered the war. However, after a failure of a comparatively non-significant attempt, both the sides re-enforced a bloody war by turning to external help. The Rebels sought aid from the Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany and the Republicans from the Soviet Union, the International Brigades, the United States, and some European countries. The rebels received tanks, troops, and planes from their source, while the Republicans received equipment, supplies, and medical and auxiliary aids from theirs’. The political and emotional reverberations of the SCW divided the world into distinct groups, for example, the tyrants and democrats and the Fascist and liberals. The SCW was based on domestic issues, and the only reason it flared in its extend was because of asking for international intervention; these countries in turn saw a good opportunity to take advantage of a foreign issue. Germany and Italy experimented with new methods of tank and air warfare, while Britain and France saw prospects of preserving the international equilibrium (Spanish Civil War, n.d.). The conflict would not have extended so far and would not have been so destructive without the external help. Thus, the SCW was essentially a domestic matter resulting from internal instabilities and problems, which was influenced by external factors, to become an international issue with far-reaching after-effects.
Works Cited
Spanish Civil War. (n.d.) Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/558032/Spanish-Civil-War
