ch longer. Also the constant repression, combined with yielding during the time when opposition was too high, caused the revolutionary leaders to see the government as weak and fearful of its opponents. For example when the government actually decided to answer the cries of its people and provide them with a constitution, “the revolutionary parties saw the October manifesto [Russian constitution] as a sign of weakness and redoubled their efforts to hasten tsarism to its grave.” That confirms even more the argument that there was very little that Nicholas II could do, without further sinking empire into the revolutionary swamp.Another factor that had a tremendous impact on the ongoing creation of the Revolution of 1917, was World War I. Russia’s financial and economical situation in 1914 was far from perfect, and the Central Powers not only realized that, but also used it to their full advantage. That is why “Vienna and Berlin agreed that it was better to start a war now than to delay matters, since Russia’s resources, together with the rapid growth of her economic and military strength, would make victory for the Central Powers unobtainable in a few year’s time.” Yet we also need to understand the Russian perspective for engaging in the war. Despite the fact that the Russian Emperor knew that Russia wasn’t militarily prepared in comparison to the Germany, there was a widespread belief circulating the European countries during that time, “that a vigorous and self-respecting nation must assert itself aggressively and must compete, by war if necessary, to be the standard-bearer of progress and history.” This type of mentality was also widely accepted among the Russian ruling class, and needs to be taken into consideration as, one of the reasons for Russian entry in World War I. And to add to that, the Russians believed that “so long as the war was relatively sho...
