‘Out of all the wars that influenced the development of Russian government, the First World War was the most significant’ How far do you agree with this statement as it applies to the period 1855-1964?

Leon Trotsky described war as “the locomotive of history”, a statement which seems very much to apply to the Russian period 1855-1964, during which war was an influence on almost every aspect of society and government. The First World War of 1914-1918 was perhaps the most significant governmental turning point, in that it completely changed the power structure of Russian society, marking the true end to Tsarist rule and the beginning of a Communist takeover. Naturally, the other wars of this period also had an impact on governmental development, whether directly- like the Russo-Japanese War, Russian Revolution and Civil War- or more indirectly- like the Crimean War and Second World War. Every war in some way changed the way in which Russia was ruled, either prompting reform, showing Russia’s weaknesses or impacting upon relations between leader and people. However, none were more significant overall than the effects of the First World War.