TheDarkRaven wrote:
I must apologise - I didn't intend to convey misconception of WW1, I just feel that the October Revolution was more influential in shaping the events of the finalé of WW1 and the events to follow. And indeed, I just had to complete coursework on socio-political effects of WW1 (sadly only on women in Britain rather than at a broader aspect) - and I know it brought some radical changes whilst some things gained by people in WW1 were lost in the aftermath. Sure, WW1 changed a lot of things - but many of them changed right back at its conclusion.
I would not group the October Revolution with WW1 as although there may have been unrest in all of countries at war only Russia actually had any radical political change - it had different circumstances (okay, Germany did at the end of the war - but that's because they were being destroyed and the Kaiser had fowled the situation). Thus, I can't say this can be attributed to WW1 and list it as a separate and more important event.
I guess your doing GCSE history.
I did that a while back and unfortuntely due to Britains wonderful education system you don't really study the period in any depth. The October Revolution was related to WW1 in the way. The rise of socialism in places like Britain and under in another guise, Russia, was inflamed by the failings of the Tsarist government and rise of the working class, since industrialisation. With the continual failures from the front, with advancing Germany troops driving a weakened Russian army infront of them, supplies were diverted to the front to aid the failing army. This ofcourse had consequences to the civilian population who were, for the most part, peasant farmers. Russian had a long way to go to becoming the dynamic nation it is today, it was probably the most backward of European Countries. So as you can see we had civil strife, fear, poverty, starvation and on top of all that an army which was incappable of waging effective war. I believe for the most part the Russia's had 1 rifle for 5 men.....
Then what does Germany do? They already know of Lenin's importance, the Austrian police had arrested Lenin on August 8th, 1914, believing him to be a Russian spy. He was released because of the efforts of Vicotor Adler, the leader of the Austrian Social Democrats. Lenin could conduct a vigorous propaganda campaign against the Tsar and possibly affect the war. Indeed by the time of the Revolution this was just the case. WW1 caused the October Revolution to take place, it was the catalyst for the events to follow.
I would recommend you read 'First World War' by Martin Gilbert, whos a fellow of Merton College, Oxford. It's extremely informative.