Military successes against the Turks and the Austrians barely budged the
scale of public opinion, and the prestige of the government sank steadily.
Nicholas made the questionable decision to take direct command of the army
after the summer 1915 retreat. This left Alexandra in charge in the capital,
Petrograd. Suspected by many of being a traitor due to her birth and upbringing
in Germany, she and the entire monarchy were even more discredited by
rumors about her liaison with Rasputin. This self-proclaimed holy man and
notorious libertine had gained entry into Alexandra's circle around 1907 due
to his apparent ability to treat her son's (the tsarevich Alexis) hemophilia. Even
before the war he had meddled in political affairs. After the tsar's departure
for the front, Rasputin's psychological hold on the empress gave him crucial
influence in appointing his incompetent cronies to lead key government
ministries. Such a dismal picture led the tsar's cousin to note, "The government
itself is the organ that is preparing the revolution."
In June 1 9 1 6 the army showed its mettle in the early stages ofthe Brusilov
offensive. General Alexis Brusilov, the dynamic commander of the southwestern
front, led four field armies in crushing the Austro-Hungarian forces
in this sector. But a more important factor was the overall decline in military
discipline as seen in an exploding desertion rate. The situation was particu
larly dangerous in Petrograd, which was not only the capital and a major
industrial center, but also a major military center containing large numbers
of troops scheduled for shipment to the grim prospects of the fighting front.
Imperial Russia's ties to its allies in western Europe brought few benefits.
Turkey's entry into the war prevented Britain and France from supplying
Russia's beleaguered military system via the Mediterranean. Even if the
route to the Black Sea had been open, the shortage of ships and the distance
involved would have limited direct aid. There was never any prospect that
large numbers of French or British troops could be sent to Russia as they
were to Italy to bolster that weak ally after its defeat at the Battle of
Caporetto in October 1917.
World History
