Impact of First World War on Russia and Germany Essay

Impact of First World War on Russia and Germany - Essay Example This was also the result of Russia being isolating itself and sending belligerent messages to the rest of the astounded world that was aghast with the termination of Tsars that led to their cold-blooded killing. The direct impact of world war started with the vast mobilisation of military and Russian population even in the farthest corners of Russia started dreading the outbreak of war with most of the able bodied men disappearing into the defence forces. Social impact of the military disasters between 1914 and 1915 was terrible for Russian population, who, till then, lived a rather deprived, but peaceful existence and most of the Russians were peasants in the far-flung areas of Russia1.There were war refugees accompanied by vast displacement of population as a result of Russian retreats in the first two years of war. It is said that more than one fifth of Russia's railway wagons were involved only in the work of evacuating people and other equipments in the summer of 1915. This had become very important to save the population from perishing in the hands of advancing Germany. More than half a million peasant households were displaced with disastrous effects. It was not easy to provide eithe r employment or basic necessities to these displaced people and rehabilitation when the country was losing the war was extremely difficult. Military reverses as in any other country, had direct impact on ordinary people of Russia. Farmers had to leave their land and livelihood and farm machinery and this means they had no ways of continuing farming. They were unsuitable for any other life and living without a roof over their heads in Russian winter was another major problem. There was widespread chaos and confusion combined with acute shortage of food and shelter almost leading to starvation. Naturally the government was unable to meet the expenses of refugees and running a full-blooded military campaign against Germany who had prepared for this war for years. Different sections of Russian society reacted in different ways, no doubt. But all of them showed understandable desperation of not knowing when the war would end. Refugees had no idea when they would be able to return home. Educated sections of the society and the intellectuals were getting more and more alienated from the government. From hindsight it is difficul t not to sympathise with the government which was under enormous stress and strain of protecting the land from the enemy attack, facing the weather conditions, clothing and keeping the soldiers armed and happy and facing the internal upheaval of a ruined economy, though the Russian elite remained committed to somehow achieving victory in the ongoing war. There are also indications that other than the military, civil administration was uncooperative in the war efforts and this slowly created rift in the ranks and lines of educated society. Government had been unable to mobilise public opinion in favour of the war it had been fighting. People were more concerned about losing their homes and hearths and were worried about their livelihoods than about the real war. Their minds were full of the hardships and difficulties they were facing with their families and ideologies did not worry them much, faced with enormous problems which did not seem to end.