Eastern Front or Eastern Theater World War I (Russian: ??????????? , Vostochn? y front , sometimes called Second Holy War War or Second Patriotic War (Russian: ?????????????????? , Vtoraya Otechestvennaya voyna ) in Russian language sources) is an operating theater that covers the largest limit of the entire the border between the Russian Empire and Romania on one side and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and the German Empire on the other. It stretches from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south, including much of Eastern Europe and stretches far into Central Europe as well. The terms contrast with the "Western Front", which is struggling in Belgium and France.
During 1910, Russian General Yuri Danilov developed a "Plan 19" in which four soldiers would invade East Prussia. This plan was criticized because Austria-Hungary could be a greater threat than the German Empire. So instead of four soldiers attacking East Prussia, Russia plans to send two soldiers to East Prussia, and two Soldiers to defend the attacking Austro-Hungarian troops from Galicia. In the early months of the war, the Russian Imperial Army made an invasion of eastern Prussia in the northwest theater, only to be repulsed by the Germans after some initial success. At the same time, in the south, they managed to attack Galicia, defeating Austro-Hungarian troops there. In Poland Russia, Germany failed to take over Warsaw. But in 1915, the German and Austrian-Hungarians were up front, handling large Russian casualties in Galicia and in Poland, forcing them to retreat. Grand Duke Nicholas was fired from his position as supreme commander and replaced by the Tsar himself. Some of the attacks on Germany in 1916 failed, including the Naroch Lake Attack and Baranovichi Attack. However, General Aleksei Brusilov oversaw a very successful operation against the Austrian-Hungarians known as the Brusilov Attack, which saw the Russian Army gain huge profits.
The Kingdom of Romania entered the war in August 1916. The Entente promised the Transylvania region (which is part of Austria-Hungary) in exchange for Romanian support. The Romanian army invaded Transylvania and had early success, but was forced to stop and be pushed back by Germany and Austro-Hungary when Bulgaria attacked them in the south. Meanwhile, a revolution took place in Russia in February 1917 (one of the few causes of war trouble). Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and the Russian Provisional Government was established, with Georgy Lvov as its first leader, eventually replaced by Alexander Kerensky.
The newly formed Republic of the Republic continued to fight with Romania and the rest of the Entente until it was overthrown by the Bolsheviks in October 1917. Kerensky oversaw the July Attacks, which were largely a failure and led to the collapse of the Russian Army. The new government established by Bolshevik signed the Brest-Litovsk Agreement with the Central Block, taking it from the war and making a large territorial concession. Romania was also forced to surrender and sign similar agreements, although both agreements were canceled by surrendering the Central Block in November 1918.
Video Eastern Front (World War I)
Geography
The front in the east is longer than in the west. The war theater is roughly constrained by the Baltic Sea in the west and Minsk in the east, and Saint Petersburg to the north and the Black Sea to the south, a distance of over 1,600 kilometers (990 mi). It has a drastic effect on the nature of warfare.
When World War I on the Western Front developed into a trench warfare, the battle lines on the Eastern Front were much more fluid and the trenches never really developed. This is because the larger front ensures that the density of the soldiers in the line is lower so the lines are easier to destroy. Once damaged, rare communication networks make it difficult for defenders to speed up reinforcements into broken lines, putting up quick counterattacks to cover every breakthrough.
Maps Eastern Front (World War I)
Propaganda
Propaganda is a key component of World War I culture. It is most often deployed through state-controlled media to glorify the homeland and condemn the enemy. Propaganda often takes the form of images depicting stereotypes of folklore about the enemy or from the glorified moments of the nation's history. On the Eastern Front, propaganda takes on many forms such as opera, film, spy fiction, theater, spectacle, war novel, and graphic art. On the Eastern Front the number of propaganda used in each country varies from one state to another. Propaganda takes many forms in each country and is distributed by many different groups. Most often the country produces propaganda, but other groups, such as anti-war organizations, also generate propaganda.
Initial situation in belligerent countries
German
Before the outbreak of war, German strategy was based almost entirely on the Schlieffen Plan. With the Franco-Russian Treaty in place, Germany knows that a war with one of them will lead to war with another, meaning that there will be wars in the west and east. Therefore, the German General Staff, Alfred von Schlieffen, planned an all-out ground warfare on the Western Front to take on France and, after the victory, Germany would turn its attention to Russia in the east. Von Schlieffen believes Russia will not be ready or willing to fight and attack Germany because of the huge loss of military equipment suffered by Russia in the Russian-Japanese war, its low population density and the lack of railroads.
Instead, the German Navy believes it will win over England with Russian neutrality, something von Moltke does not know.
Romanian
In the years before the First World War, the Romanian kingdom was involved in the Second Balkan War on the sides of Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and the Ottoman Empire against Bulgaria. The Bucharest Agreement, signed on 10 August 1913, put an end to the Balkan conflict and added 6,960 square kilometers to the Romanian territory. Despite the military, Romania decided on a policy of neutrality at the start of the First World War, mainly because it had territorial interests in Austria-Hungary (Transylvania and Bukovina) and in Russia (Bessarabia). Strong cultural influences also affect the Romanian trend. King Carol I, as Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, prefers its Germanic roots, while Romanians, influenced by Orthodox and Latin churches, tend to join France. Perhaps King Carol's attempts to join the war on the side of the Central powers would be fruitful if she did not die in 1914, but Romania's disappointment with Austria-Hungary had affected public opinion and politics. French support for Romania's action against Bulgaria, and the support of the provisions of the Bucharest Agreement are particularly effective for leaning Romania into Entente. Furthermore, Russia's approach to Romanian sympathy, exemplified by the Tsar's visit to Constanta on June 14, 1914, signaled a new era of positive relations between the two countries. Nevertheless, King Ferdinand I of Romania maintains a policy of neutrality, intending to get the best for Romania by negotiating between competing forces. According to historian John Keegan, the persuasion offered by the Allies was never concrete, because secretly, Russia and France agreed not to honor any convention when the end of the war came.
Russian
The direct reason for Russia's involvement in the First World War was the direct result of decisions made by statesmen and generals during July 1914. The July crisis was the culmination of a series of diplomatic conflicts that occurred in the decade before 1914, and it was very important to understand Russia's position immediately before the War. According to D. C. Lieven, Russia is very strong and able to support its diplomatic policy with power. In 1870-1914, four major powers in Europe were Russia, Prussia, Austria, and France, each running the same proportion of power at the time. One of the most important factors in bringing Russia to the brink of war is its economic collapse. A 20 per cent spike in defense spending during 1866-77 and in 1871-5 forced them to change their position in Europe and shift the balance of power from their will. At that time, the Russian infrastructure withdrew and the Russian government should invest far more than its European rivals in structural change. In addition there is a tremendous defense burden, which will ultimately lead to economic collapse for Russia. This is a major strain on the Russian population, but also serves as a direct threat to military spending. Thus the only way Russia can maintain the tension of the European war is to place more emphasis on foreign investment from France which basically comes to Russian aid for industrial change. The Franco-Russian Alliance enables the Russian defense to grow and help balance the strength of Europe during the growth of the German Empire's power. In 1914, Germany was the most powerful country in all of Europe. Nevertheless, one of the key factors was Russia's foreign policy between 1890 and 1914.
Russian Propaganda
In order for Russia to legitimize their war effort, the government builds enemy image through state institutionalized propaganda. Their main goal is to help overcome the legend of the "unbeatable" German war machine, to improve the morale of civilians and soldiers. Russian propaganda often takes the form of showing Germany as a civilized nation, with barbarous "inhuman" qualities. Russian propaganda also exploited the image of the Russian POW residing in the German camps, again to raise the morale of their troops, serve as an impetus to defeat the enemy and to get their comrades out of the "inhuman" German POW camps.
The element of Russian propaganda is the Commission of Inquiry established in April 1915. It is headed by Aleksei Krivtsov and this research is commissioned with the task of studying lawlessness committed by the Central Bloc and then obtaining this information to the Russian public. The commission published photographs of alleged letters found on German soldiers who died. These letters document German correspondents who say "do not take prisoners." A museum was also established in Petrograd, which featured images showing how "inhuman" the Germans treat prisoners of war.
Austria-Hungary
The Austro-Hungarian participation in the outbreak of World War I has been ignored by historians, as the emphasis has traditionally been placed on the role of Germany as the main instigator. However, the "spark" that sparked the First World War was attributed to the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip, which took place on 28 June 1914. About a month later, on July 28, 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. This action led to a series of events that would quickly develop into the First World War; thus, the Habsburg government in Vienna commenced an important decision that would initiate a conflict.
The causes of the Great War have generally been defined in diplomatic terms, but certain deep-seated issues in Austria-Hungary undoubtedly contributed to the beginnings of the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian situation in the pre-1914 Balkans was a major factor in his involvement in the war. The movement towards the South Slav union was a major problem for the Habsburg Empire, which faced increasing nationalist pressure from its multinational population. As the third largest country in Europe, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy is hardly homogeneous; consisting of more than fifty million people and eleven nationalities, the Empire is a conglomeration of diverse cultures, languages ​​and tribes.
In particular, the Southern Slavs of Austria-Hungary want to join Serbia in an effort to formally strengthen their common cultural heritage. More than seven million Southern Slavs live in the Empire, while three million live outside it. With the rise of nationalism in the twentieth century, the unity of all the Southern Slavs seemed promising. This tension is exemplified by Conrad von HÃÆ'¶tzendorf's letter to Franz Ferdinand:
The unification of the Southern Slavs race is one of the strongest national movements that can not be ignored or guarded. The only question is whether unification will take place within the bounds of Monarchy - which sacrificed Serbian independence - or under Serbian leadership at the expense of the Monarchy. The cost for the Monarchy is the loss of the southern Slav provinces and almost all coastlines. The loss of territory and prestige will lower the status of the kingdom into small forces.
The Bosnian-Herzegovina annexation in 1908 by Austrian foreign minister Baron von Aehrenthal in an attempt to assert the domination of the Balkans to poison the Slavic nationalism and make Serbs furious. Bosnia-Herzegovina became "a call" for South Slavic, with hostility between Austria-Hungary and Serbia rising. The situation is ripe for the conflict, and when the Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip kills Austria's imperial heir, Franz Ferdinand, this long-running hostility culminates in an all-out war.
The Allied Powers wholeheartedly supports the Slavs nationalist struggle. George Macaulay Trevelyan, a British historian, sees Serbia's war against Austria-Hungary as a "liberation war" that will "liberate the Southern Slavs from tyranny." In his own words: "If there has ever been a battle for freedom, there is a battle like what is now happening in Southeastern Europe against Austria and Magyar.If this war ends with the overthrow of Magyar tyranny, a great step forward will take place towards racial and peaceful freedom Europe. "
Russia before 1914
Prior to 1914, Russia's lack of success in war and diplomacy in the six decades before 1914 undermined the country's moral strength. British and German martial arts, diplomatic and economic victories put these countries in the front rank of the world's leading nations. It is a source of national pride, confidence and unity. It helps to reconcile workers to the country and Bavaria or Scotland to rule from Berlin or London. In the years before 1914, Austro-Russian cooperation was essential to European peace and difficult to maintain. The old suspicions were exacerbated by the Bosnian crisis that hindered the agreement between the two kingdoms, as well as ethnic sensibilities. Russia's historical role as a liberator of the Balkans is difficult to set up with Austria's determination to control the adjacent territory. In 1913-1914 Saint Petersburg was too concerned with his own weaknesses and what he saw as a threat to Russia's vital interests, to save much thought for the feelings of Vienna. Russia, with a bit of justice, is outraged that the concessions they made after the First Balkan War for the sake of European peace have not been repaid by the Central Bloc.
This is very dangerous as more and more evidence flows to Petersburg about Germany's aggressive intentions. Both Bazarov and Russian secret police policy agents in Germany reported concerns that arose in public opinion by the press war against Russia, which occurred in the spring of 1914.
The Russian military is the largest in the world of 1.4 million people before the war. They can also mobilize up to 5 million men, but only have 4.6 million rifles to give them. It also has poor leadership.
First battle (August 1914)
The war in the east began with the Russian invasion of East Prussia on August 17, 1914 and the Galician province of Austro-Hungary. The first attempt quickly turned into a defeat after the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914. The second Russian attack on Galicia was indeed successful, with Russia seizing almost all of the territory by the end of 1914, routing four Austrian troops in the process. Under the command of Nikolai Ivanov and Aleksei Brusilov, Russia won the Battle of Galicia in September and began the siege of Przemy? L, the next fortress on the road to KrakÃÆ'³w.
This early Russian success in 1914 on the Austro-Russian border was a cause of concern for the Central Bloc and caused the German forces to be moved to the East to take pressure from Austria, leading to the formation of the new German Ninth Army. At the end of 1914, the main focus of the battle shifted to the central part of Polish Russia, to the west of the Vistula river. The October Battle of the Vistula River and the November Battle? ÃÆ'³d? brought little progress for Germany, but at least put Russia at a safe distance.
Russian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers continued to clash in and near the Carpathian Mountains during the winter of 1914-1915. Przemysl's fortress managed to survive well behind enemy lines throughout this period, with Russia passing it to attack Austro-Hungarian forces further west. They made some progress, crossing the Carpathians in February and March 1915, but then German aid helped Austria stop further Russian progress. Meanwhile, Przemysl was almost entirely destroyed and the siege of Przemysl ended in defeat for Austria.
1915
In 1915, the German command decided to make a major effort on the Eastern Front, thereby transferring considerable strength there. To eliminate the Russian threat, the Central Block began the campaign season of 1915 with a successful Offensive Gorlice-Tarnow in Galicia in May 1915.
After the Second Battle of Masurian Lakes, German and Austro-Hungarian forces on the Eastern Front functioned under an integrated command. The attack soon turned into a general advance and a strategic retreat accordingly by the Russian Army. The cause of the defeat suffered by the Russian Army is not so much a tactical error as the lack of technical equipment, especially in artillery and ammunition and the corruption and inability of Russian officers. Only in 1916, the buildup of the Russian war industry increased the production of war material and improved the supply situation.
By mid-1915, Russia had been expelled from the Russian Polish and therefore driven hundreds of kilometers away from the borders of the Central Bloc, removing the threat of Russian invasions to Germany or Austria-Hungary. At the end of 1915, the German-Austrian advance was stopped at the Riga-Jakobstadt-DÃÆ'¼nurg-Baranovichi-Pinsk-Dubno-Ternopil line. This frontline line did not change until the collapse of Russia in 1917.
After the Battle of Sarikamish, the Russo-Turkish Front quickly turned to support the Russian army. The Turks were concerned about reorganizing their troops and carrying out the Armenian Genocide. Meanwhile, Russia is busy with other forces on the Eastern Front. However, the appointment of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich as Viceroy and Commander in the Caucasus in September 1915 revived the situation of the Russo-Turkish front.
When the Allies withdrew from Gallipoli in December, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus General Nikolai Yudenich believes Turkish troops will take action against his troops. The concern is legit: The entry of Bulgaria into war as a German ally in October raises serious concerns, as the German overland routes to Turkey are now open and will allow an unlimited flow of German weapons to Turkey. A "window of opportunity" emerged that would allow Russia to destroy Turkey's Third Army, due to the British needed aid in Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq). British efforts to besiege Baghdad have been stopped in Ctesiphon, and they are forced to resign. This led to an increasing number of attacks by Turkish forces. Britain called on Russia to attack in an attempt to distract the Turks, and Yudenich agreed. The resulting attack began on January 10, 1916.
This attack was not anticipated by the Turks, as in the middle of winter. Turkey's situation was exacerbated by Third Army commander Kamil Pasha and Chief of Staff Major Guse absent. Coupled with power imbalances - Russian forces have 325,000 troops, while Turks have only 78,000 - the situation looks bleak for the Central Block. After three months of fighting, Russia seized the city of Trabzon on April 18, 1916.
1916
The allied operation in 1916 was dictated by the urgent need to force Germany to transfer troops from the Western Front to the East, to ease the pressure on France at the Battle of Verdun. This must be resolved by a series of Russian attacks that will force Germany to deploy additional forces to fight them. The first operation was the Naroch Lake Attack in March-April 1916, which ended in failure.
Brusilov Offensive
The Italian operation during 1916 had one remarkable positive result: Austrian divisions were pulled away from the southern Russian front. This allows the Russian forces to organize counterattacks. Brusilov's attack is a major tactical attack carried out by Russian forces against Austro-Hungarian troops in Galicia. General Aleksei Brusilov believes victory against the Central Bloc is possible if attention is given to preparations. Brusilov suggested that Russia should attack in front of a wide, and positioned their trenches just seventy-five yards from the Austrian trenches.
Brusilov's plan works flawlessly. The Russians are more than the Austrians 200,000 to 150,000, and have considerable advantages in weapons, with 904 big guns up to 600. Most importantly innovative new tactics similar to those created independently by Erwin Rommel are used to carry out surprise attacks a fast and effective close distance that allows for steady progress. The Russian Eighth Army seized all four Austria and pushed into Lutsk, advancing forty miles beyond the starting position. More than a million Austrians are missing, with more than 500,000 people killed or taken prisoner by mid-June.
Although the Offensive Brusilov initially succeeded, it greatly slowed down. Inadequate troop numbers and untreated supply lines hinder Brusilov's ability to follow up on early victories in June. The Brusilov attack was considered Russia's biggest victory of the First World War. Despite Russia's loss of half a million casualties, the attack succeeded in diverting the substantial forces of the Central Block from the Western front, and persuading Romania to join the war, diverting the power of Central Powers to the East.
Romania entering war
Romania may be the turning point of the campaign. If Germany fails there, it will be the greatest disaster inflicted on them. After that it will only be a matter of time. But if Germany succeeds, I hesitate to think what effect it will have on the fate of our campaign.... but no one has considered it a specific task to prepare the plan.
Until 1916, the Romanians followed a war of interest, trying to put themselves in the most favorable position. French and Russian diplomats began to approach Romanians early on, but persuasion tactics gradually increased. For King Ferdinand to exercise his power of half a million people, he expects the Allies to offer substantial incentives. Playing in Romanian anti-Hungarian sentiment, the Allies promised the Austrian-Hungarian region of Ardeal (Transylvania) to Romania. The demographics of transylvania strongly support the Romanian people. Romania surrendered to the Allied temptation on August 18, 1916. Nine days later, on August 27, Romanian troops marched to Transylvania.
Romania's entry into the war sparked a major strategic shift for Germany. In September 1916, German troops mobilized to the Eastern Front. In addition, the General Staff Chief of Staff General Erich Von Falkenhayn was forced to resign from office to order a joint force of Central powers against Romania, along with General August von Mackensen. Kaiser Wilhelm II soon replaced Falkenhayn with Paul von Hindenburg. Von Hindenburg's deputy, the more skilful Erich Ludendorff, was given effective control of the army and ordered to advance to Romania. On September 3, the first army of the Central Block marched to the Romanian territory. At the same time, the Bulgarian Air Force commenced an endless bombing of Bucharest. In an effort to ease the pressure, French and British troops launched a new offensive known as the Battle of the Somme, while the Brusilov offensive continued in the East.
It is certain that a relatively small country like Romania has never been given such an important role, and, indeed, is crucial to the history of the world at such a profitable moment. Never before has two Great Powers such as Germany and Austria found themselves so much at the mercy of the military resources of a country that is almost half the population of the two big nations. Judging from the military situation, it is expected that Romania only to advance to where he wants to decide the world war for the Forces that have thrown us down in vain for many years. So everything seems to depend on whether Romania is ready to take advantage of its momentary advantage.
The Romanian entrance into the war was confusing for von Hindenburg. On September 15, Paul von Hindenburg issued the following order, stating that: "The main task of the Army is to hold all positions quickly on the Western Front, East, Italy and Macedonia, and to use all other available powers against Romania." Fortunately for the Central Block, the quantity and quality of the Romanian Army is too high. Despite being half a million people, the Romanian Army suffers from poor training and lack of appropriate equipment.
The early success of the Romanian Army in the Austria-Hungary region was quickly undermined by the Central Block. The German and Austro-Hungarian army advanced from the north, while Bulgarian-Turkish-German troops marched to Romania from the south. Though regarded as a tactical error by contemporaries, the Romans chose to perform operations in both directions. In mid-November the German forces passed through the Carpathian, suffering significant casualties because of the determined Romanian resistance. On December 5, Bulgarian troops had crossed the Danube and approached the capital, Bucharest. At the same time as Austro-Hungarian troops moved east, and when the Bulgars marched northward, the Turks had sent two divisions of armies by sea to Dobruja from the east. Finally, Romanian troops were pushed back to the back of Siret in northern Moldavia.
Aftermath of 1916
In January 1917, the Romanian army had significantly reduced. About 150,000 Romanian soldiers have been taken prisoner, 200,000 people were killed or wounded, and lost two-thirds of their country, including the capital. Importantly, the Ploie'ti oil field, the only significant source of oil in Europe to the west of the Black Sea, was destroyed before they were left to the Central Block.
1917
Russia - The February Revolution
The February Revolution Russia aims to overthrow the Russian monarchy and result in the creation of the Provisional Government. Revolution is a turning point in Russian history, and its significance and influence can still be felt in many countries today. Although many Russians want a revolution, no one expects it to happen then - let alone how it happened.
On International Women's Day, Thursday, February 23, 1917/8 March 1917, as many as 90,000 female workers in the city of Petrograd abandoned their factory work and marched through the streets, shouting "Bread", "Down with autocracy!" and "Stop the War!" These women are tired, hungry and angry, after working long hours in miserable conditions to feed their families because of their men fighting in front. They are not alone in demanding change; more than 150,000 men and women took to the streets to protest the next day.
On Saturday, February 25, the city of Petrograd is essentially closed. No one is allowed to work or want to work. Although there were several police and army incidents thundering through the crowd, the groups immediately rebelled and joined the demonstrators. Tsar Nicholas II, who was not in Petrograd during the revolution, heard reports of protests but chose not to take them seriously. On March 1, it was clear to everyone except the tsar himself that his rule was over. On 2nd March was made official.
Romania - Summer Campaign and beyond
In early July 1917, on the Romanian front, a relatively small area, there was one of the largest concentrations of combat forces and facilities known during the fire: nine soldiers, 80 infantry divisions with 974 battalions, 19 cavalry divisions with 550 squadrons and 923 artillery batteries effectively numbered about 800,000 people, with about a million in their immediate reserves. The three great battles, which determine the fate of the Romanians, are presented at M? R? Team? R ?? e? Ti and Oituz represented a turning point in the world war on the East front. These battles, named for the locality and zone where they occurred, were contested roughly on a stable front line in early 1917, in which the parties to the conflict had been consolidated thoroughly for half a year.
Between late July and early September, the Romanian Army fought against M'r 'ti, M? R ?? e? Ti and Oituz, managing to stop the German-Austrian-Hungarian progress, caused great losses in the process and won the most important Allied victory on the Eastern Front in 1917.
As a result of this operation, the remaining Romanian territory remained uninhabitable, binding nearly 1,000,000 Central Powers troops and pushing The Times to illustrate Romanian fronts as "The only point of light in the East".
On May 7, 1918, given the existing political-military situation, Romania was forced to conclude the Bucharest Agreement with the Central Bloc, imposing harsh conditions in the country but recognizing union with Bessarabia. Alexandru Marghiloman became the new German-sponsored Prime Minister. King Ferdinand, however, refused to sign the treaty.
Germany was able to repair the oil fields around Ploie? T and at the end of the war had pumped one million tons of oil. They also asked for two million tons of grain from Romanian farmers. These materials were very important in keeping Germany in war until the end of 1918.
Russia - The October Revolution
In September 1917, just a few months after the February Revolution, Lenin believed that the Russian people were ready for another revolution, this time with Marxist principles. On October 10, at a secret meeting of Bolshevik party leaders, Lenin used all his strength to convince the others that it was time for an armed uprising. After 24 hours of debate, voting was done the following morning: the result was ten to two supporting the revolution. The forces loyal to the Bolsheviks took over the telegraph stations, power stations, strategic bridges, post offices, railway stations and state banks, without any gunfire or resistance.
Petrograd is officially in the hands of the Bolsheviks, which greatly enhances their organization in plant groups and in many barracks throughout Petrograd. They concentrated on drafting a plan to overturn the Provisional Government, in a coup. On October 24, Lenin emerged from his suburban hideout, entered the city, set up his headquarters at the Smolny Institute and worked to complete his three-phase plan. With the main bridge and the main railway secured, only the Winter Palace, and with it the Provisional Government, remains to be taken. On the night of November 7, troops loyal to the Bolsheviks infiltrated the Winter Palace. After an almost bloodless coup, the Bolsheviks were the new Russian leader. Lenin announced that the new regime would end the war, remove all private land holdings, and create a system for workers' control over the factories.
1918
On 7 November 1917, the Communist Bolsheviks took power under their leader, Vladimir Lenin. The new Bolshevik government of Lenin tried to end the war, with a ceasefire announced on 15 December 1917 along the lines agreed in November. At the same time Bolshevik launched a full-scale military attack against its enemies: Ukraine and the separatist government in the Don region. During the peace negotiations between the Soviets and the Central Bloc, Germany demanded enormous concessions, which ultimately resulted in the failure of a protracted peace negotiation on 17 February 1918. At the same time, the Central Bloc made a military agreement with the Ukrainians who lost in the fight with the invasion of troops Bolshevik. The Russian Civil War, which began just after November 1917, would destroy Russia for three years. As a result of events during 1917, many groups opposed the formation of the Lenin Bolshevik. With the fall of Nicholas II, many parts of the Russian Empire took the opportunity to declare their independence, one of which was Finland, which did so in December 1917; However, Finland also collapsed into a civil war. Finland declared itself on December 6, 1917, and this was accepted by Lenin a month later. The Finnish parliament selects the German prince as King of Finland. However, the Socialists (The Reds) and White in Finland fell into war with each other in January 1918. The Reds want Finland to be a Soviet republic, and aided by Russian troops still in Finland. The Whites of Finland is led by General Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, a Finnish baron who has been in the Tsar service since he was 15 years old. The whites were also offered assistance by the German Expeditionary Corps headed by German Gen. Goltz. Mannerheim never agreed to this. The German Corps landed in Finland in April 1918.
Red Army Formation
After the disintegration of the Russian imperial army and the navy in 1917, the People's Commis- sion Council led by Leon Trotsky began to create new troops. With a decision on January 28, 1918, the council created the Red Army of Workers and Peoples; it began voluntary recruitment, but on April 22, the Soviet government did military service for anyone who did not hire rented labor. While most of the army consisted of workers and peasants, many Red Army officers had performed similar functions in the imperial army before its collapse.
Brest-Litovsk Treaty (March 1918)
With the German Army just 85 miles (137 km) from the Russian capital Petrograd (St. Petersburg) on ​​March 3, 1918, the Brest-Litovsk Treaty was signed and the Eastern Front ceased to be a war zone. While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year, it provided some relief to the Bolsheviks, who were involved in civil war, and asserted Ukrainian independence. However, Estonia and Latvia intended to be the British Baltic Empire to be ruled by German princes and German nobility as territories under German Kaiser. Finnish sovereignty was declared in December 1917, and accepted by most countries, including France and the Soviet Union, but not by Britain and the United States. Germany was able to transfer substantial forces to the west to carry out attacks in France in the spring of 1918.
This attack on the Western Front failed to reach a decisive breakthrough, and the arrival of more American units in Europe was enough to offset Germany's gains. Even after the collapse of Russia, about a million German troops remained tied in the east until the end of the war, trying to run a brief addition to the German Empire in Europe. In the end, Germany and Austria lost all the land they captured, and moreover, under various treaties (such as the Versailles Treaty) signed after the ceasefire in 1918.
Women's role on the Eastern Front
Compared to the attention directed to the role played by women on the Western Front during the First World War, the role of women in the east has accumulated limited scientific focus. It is estimated that 20 percent of the Russian industrial working class are required to be soldiers; therefore, the share of women in industrial employment increased dramatically. There is an increase in the percentage in every industry, but the most notable increase occurs in industrial workers, which increased from 31.4 percent in 1913 to 45 percent in 1918.
Women also fought on the Eastern Front. At a later stage of Russia's participation in the war, Russia began to form an all-female combat unit, the Female Battalion, partly to counter the moral fall of male soldiers by showing Russian women's willingness to fight. In Romania, Ecaterina Teodoroiu is actively fighting in the Romanian Army and is remembered today as a national hero.
UK nursing efforts are not limited to the Western Front. Nicknamed "gray partridge" referring to their dark gray coat, a Scottish volunteer nurse arrived in Romania in 1916 under the leadership of Elsie Inglis. In addition to treating injured personnel, Scottish nurses manned a transport vehicle and acted as regimental chef. The "Gray Partridges" are highly respected by Romanian, Serbian and Russian troops and as a result, the Romanian press goes so far as to characterize them as "healthy, masculine, and tanned women." As proof of his ability, Elsie Inglis and his volunteers were entrusted with transforming an abandoned building in Galati into an operational hospital, which they did in more than a day. The published Journal of Yvonne Fitzroy, "With the Scottish Nurse in Romania," provided an excellent first-hand account of Scotland's nursery activity on the Eastern Front.
Prisoners of War in Russia
During World War I, some 200,000 German soldiers and 2.5 million troops from the Austro-Hungarian army entered Russian custody. During the 1914 Russian campaign, Russia began to take on thousands of Austrian prisoners. As a result, the Russian authorities made emergency facilities in Kiev, Penza, Kazan, and then Turkestan to detain prisoners of war Austria. As the war progressed, the Russians began to arrest the German army and the growing number of Austro-Hungarian troops. The Tsar state sees a large POW population as a workforce that could benefit the war economy in Russia. Many prisoners of war were employed as agricultural laborers and miners in Donbas and Krivoi Rog. However, the majority of prisoners of war are employed as laborers who build canals and build railroads. The environment and working environment for prisoners of war is bleak. There is a shortage of food, clean drinking water and proper medical care. During the summer malaria is a major problem, and malnutrition among prisoners of war causes many cases of scurvy. While working on the Murmansk rail project, more than 25,000 prisoners of war were killed. Information about the bleak conditions of labor camps reached the governments of Germany and Austro-Hungary. They start complaining about the POW treatment. The Tsar authorities initially refused to recognize the German and Habsburg governments. They rejected their claim because the Russian POW works in railroad construction in Serbia. However, they slowly agreed to stop using prison sentences. Life in the camp is very difficult for the people who live there. The Tsarist government can not provide adequate supplies to people living in their POW camps. The inability of the Russian government to supply POW in their camps with supplies is due to inadequate resources and bureaucratic rivalry. However, conditions in POW camps vary; some more can be borne than others.
Diseases on the Eastern Front
Illness plays an important role in the loss of life on the Eastern Front. In the East, the disease accounts for about four times the number of deaths caused by direct combat, in contrast to a ratio of three to one in the West. Malaria, cholera, and dysentery contribute to the epidemiological crisis on the Eastern Front; However, typhoid fever, transmitted by pathogenic lice and previously unknown to German medical officers before the outbreak of war, is the most deadly. There is a direct correlation between environmental conditions in the East and the prevalence of disease. With cities overcrowded by refugees fleeing from their home countries, unhealthy medical conditions create an environment suitable for the spread of disease. Primitive hygienic conditions, along with a lack of general knowledge about proper medical care are evident in Ober Ober occupied by Germany.
Ultimately, large scale sanitation programs are in place. This program, named SantitÃÆ'¤tswesen (Medical Affairs), is responsible for ensuring good hygienic procedures are being conducted in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Quarantine centers are built, and the sick environment is isolated from the rest of the population. Delousing stations are prevalent in rural and urban areas to prevent the spread of typhoid fever, with large numbers of indigenous people being forced to take part in this process in military baths. A "sanitary police" was also introduced to ensure cleanliness of the house, and any house deemed inappropriate would be raised with a warning sign. Dogs and cats are also killed for fear of possible infection.
To avoid the spread of disease, prostitution becomes regulated. Prostitutes are required to register permits, and the authorities demand a mandatory medical examination for all prostitutes, estimating that seventy percent of prostitutes carry a sexually transmitted disease. Military brothels were introduced to fight disease; The city of Kowno emphasizes the use of appropriate contraceptives such as condoms, encourages clearance of the genital area after intercourse, and provides medication instructions in case of infection.
Victim
Russian casualties in the First World War are difficult to estimate, due to poorly available statistical quality.
Cornish gave a total of 2,006,000 military deaths (700,000 killed in action, 970,000 died from injuries, 155,000 died of disease and 181,000 died during prisoners of war). The size of Russia's loss is similar to that of the United Kingdom, 5% of the male population in the age group of 15 to 49 years. He says civilian casualties are five to six hundred thousand in the first two years, and then are not saved, so a total of <1.500.000 is not possible. He has over five million people who go into captivity, the majority during 1915.
When Russia withdrew from the war, 2,500,000 Russian prisoners of war were in the hands of Germany and Austria. This far exceeds the total number of prisoners of war (1,880,000) lost by the combined British, French and German armies. Only the Austrian-Hungarian Army, with 2,200,000 prisoners of war, even approached.
Territorial changes
Austria
The Austrian Empire lost about 60% of its territory as a result of the war, and evolved into a smaller country with a small homogeneous population of 6.5 million people. With the loss of Vienna now became imperial capital without empire to support it. The countries formed around Austria fear the return of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and put the steps into place to prevent it from re-establishment.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia was created through the incorporation of the Czech provinces of Bohemia and Moravia, previously under Austrian rule, united with Slovakia and Ruthenia, which were part of Hungary. Although these groups have many differences between them, they believe that together they will create a stronger state. The new country is a multi-ethnic country. The population consists of Czechs (51%), Slovakia (16%), Germany (22%), Hungary (5%) and Rusyn (4%), with other ethnic groups making up 2%. Many Germans, Hungarians, Ruthenians and Poles and some Slovaks, feel oppressed because the political elite generally does not allow political autonomy for ethnic minorities. The state proclaims the official ideology that there are no Czechs and Slovaks, but only one Czechoslovakia (see Czechoslovakia), with disputes between Slovakia and other ethnic groups. After the united Czechoslovakia was restored after World War II, the conflict between Czechs and Slovaks came up again.
Hungarian
After the war Hungary was severely disrupted by the loss of 72% of its territory, 64% of its population and most of its natural resources. The loss of the region is similar to that of Austria after the break up of Austria-Hungary. They lost the territory of Transylvania, Slovakia, Croatia, Slavonia, Syrmia, and Banat.
Italy
Italy includes the Trieste and Tyrol region of Austria.
Polish
The free and independent formation of Poland was one of Wilson's fourteen points. At the end of the 18th century the Polish country was falling apart by Prussia, Russia, and Austria. During the Paris Peace Conference, 1919, the Commission on Polish Affairs made a recommendation that there be a crossing road through West Prussia and Posen, to give Poland access to the Baltic through the port of Danzig at the mouth of the Vistula River. The creation of a Polish state would cut 1.5 million Germans in East Prussia from all over Germany. Poland also received Upper Silesia. British Foreign Secretary Lord Curzon proposed the eastern border of Poland with Russia. Both Soviet Russia and Poland are not happy with the demarcation of the border.
Romanian
The Romanian state enlarged after the war. As a result of the Paris peace conference, Romania maintains Dobrudja and Transylvania. Among the countries of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Romania, an alliance called Little Entente was formed. They work together on foreign policy issues to prevent Habsburg restoration.
Yugoslavia
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