A. Plan of Investigation On March 2nd 1917 Tsar Nicholas II signed an act of abdication1, and the three hundred year old dynasty of the Romanovs effectively came to and end. But was Nicholas II alone to blame for the end of Tsardom or were there other factors contributing to this outcome that once seemed to be unlikely. The First World War was undoubtedly an important factor those contributed to this decision – but were there others, and which was the most significant? The investigation assesses the role of the First World War in the downfall of Tsardom. In order to fully determine the extent of which the war is responsible for the collapse of the tsarist rule, I will be looking at the circumstances regarding the outbreak of the war, the economic, social, and political effects of the war, the rumors surrounding the Tsarina and Rasputin, and the Tsar’s failure to reform. Memoirs and oral history are mostly used to evaluate the responsibility of Tsar Nicholas II for the downfall of Tsardom. Two of the secondary sources used in this essay, A History of Twentieth Century Russia by Robert Service and The History of the Russian Revolution by Leon Trotsky are evaluated for their origins, purposes, values, and limitations. The investigation does not assess the role and influence of the Bolsheviks on the fall of the tsarist rule although opinions of those who are part of the Bolshevik party such as Leon Trotsky are taken into consideration. B. Summary of Events The Outbreak of the First World War On 28th of June 1914 in Serbia, the heir to the Austrian throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated. This resulted into Austria, being backed by Germany, declaring war on Serbia. This is seen as the spark that ignited the First World War. Russia became involved in the war in August 1914 to help Serbia as they were seen as the ‘protectors’ of Serbia and had to look after her. Another reason for Russia’s involvement in the war was that Russia were part of the Triple Entente and had to support France and Britain. Russia entered the war with the largest army in the world, standing at 1,400,000 soldiers; when fully mobilized the Russian army expanded to over 5,000,000 soldiers (though at the outset of war Russia could not arm all its soldiers, having a supply of 4.6 million rifles). When Russia first entered the war tensions in the country seemed to disappear. The war made the people to be more patriotic and the Tsar regained his popularity. Anti government strikes and demonstrations slowed down in momentum. However all this happiness was very short lived. This is due to the incredible defeats of the Battle of Tannenburg, the Battle of Masurian Lakes, and the Austro- German offensive. As a result, Nicholas II went to the front to take control of the army. After this Russia continued on in a series of continuous defeats, leaving the Tsar to be blamed. Effect of the Defeats on the Russian people Russia being defeated so many times in the First World War had a huge effect on the Russian people. To begin with, enthusiasm for the war disappeared. The high causalities brought by the poor equipment2 of the soldiers resulted in them having low morale3. Soldiers with low morale had little or no respect for their superior officers. Many of the soldiers did not even have boots to wear and a large number of them died without weapons or ammunition4. This discontent among the people spread as news of high causalities arrived. The Effects of the First World War on Russia 1) Economic and Social Effects The First World War had overwhelming effects on the Russian economy. There was an increase in inflation as the prices in 1917 were four times those of 1914. Food was being produced in smaller quantities because of the shortages in labor and horses. More peasants were being enrolled in the army to fight and more horses were also being demanded. This means that there were less men and horses for peasants to farm their land. Therefore there was a huge increase in the prices of food. The Russian industry was also badly affected by war because of the lack of workers, fuel, and fundamental supplies. The Russian transport system could not attain to the increased demands of war in addition to delivering the industry with the vital raw materials. These led to consumer goods such as boots and clothe to become limited and very expensive. Moreover there were shortages in essential supplies such as coal, iron and steel. As a result of this bad industry factories had to close which left many people unemployed and more people fell below the poverty line5. Even when food and fuel were available they were unable to reach the Russian people due to the terrible state of the Russian transport system6. 2) Political Effects Initially the war acted in favor of the Tsar and his rule because it encouraged the Tsar to work more with the dumas. However his decision to take on the command of the front was considered to be a huge politica