- Historical literature:
- Strachan, Hew. World War I. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
- Goemans, H.E. War and Punishment. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.
- Broadberry, S.N., Harrison, Mark. The Economics of World War I. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press - 2005.
Historical events: Size of the Russian Army, State of Russia prior to entering World War I, Russian Navy, Defense Alliances, Nicholas II, Russian Government
Key players: Nicholas II, General Sukhomlinov, General Hindenburg, General Alexis Polivanov, V. Lenin
Development:
- Russia’s involvement in the early exchanges centered around the attack on Germany in what was East Prussia. The Russian first army marched straight into the heart of German territory while the country’s second army moved to head off Germany’s eighth army’s retreat. This was, initially a successful joint mission which led to plans to March on Berlin.
- Discuss how the early successes turned disastrous for Russia at the Battle of Tannenberg. After heavy losses, Germany turned from a defensive position into one last desperate attempt at attack. The plan worked and Russia suffered a devastating defeat which saw them driven out of Prussia completely.
- I plan on utilizing the AMU virtual library as well as internet sources. I plan on researching more of the Russian history prior to World War I. I also plan to learn more on the real reason(s) why Russia became so involved in the conflict and what the country of Russia expected to gain from becoming involved.
Conclusion:
The purpose of my research is to gain insight as to why Russia felt it needed to become involved in World War I. I also plan to cover the events that led to the beginning of World War I and how these events played out in each country that was involved in World War I. I plan on doing research on the key players involved in Russia and how each came to the role they were involved in. I also will research the state of the government, what the government planned to gain by becoming involved in World War I and if the government had any plans on how the conflict would actually end. I will also touch on how World War I effected the economics of Russia.