WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

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jtemple507
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WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#1

Post by jtemple507 » 27 Mar 2014, 23:53

Hi all,
What if, despite the internal conflict of the Russian Revolution, Nicholas decides to soldier on internally and externally. This would mean that large amounts of German troops would still need to be committed to the Eastern Front. Would this mean no "Spring Offensive" of 1918? Which means that the war in the west would end much quicker? It seems to me that just like its WWII counterpart of the Ardennes Offensive, the Spring Offensive was meant to be a last, desperate measure to keep the Allies away from the Fatherland. And what would happen in the East? Even if the Bolsheviks end up still taking power (which will be even more easy than what actually happened), will they continue to fight against the Kaiser, or will they make peace? If they do keep fighting, do they make any progress against the Germans? If so, what happens to post-war Germany? Is it split up like after WWII? Or is it left in the same state as it was historically?

Regards,
JT
Shooting 'em down in flames!

maltesefalcon
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Re: WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#2

Post by maltesefalcon » 28 Mar 2014, 03:02

Did I miss something here?
Nicholas could hardly have decided to carry on the war. He had little popular support even to continue as Tsar, war or not.

Although his abdication was "voluntary" one would assume he did so to avoid the ignomy of being deposed.

In any case he could hardly have led a war effort either from within or without.


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Re: WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#3

Post by jtemple507 » 28 Mar 2014, 15:11

Okay, then maybe I should change it to something like if the Russians had won a few key battles (such as Tarnapol) as they had not historically, then maybe Nicholas would have had the support he needed to carry on against the Germans?
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maltesefalcon
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Re: WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#4

Post by maltesefalcon » 29 Mar 2014, 15:25

Russia was woefully unprepared for a modern war in 1914 but carried on regardless.
By the end of the somewhat successful 1916 Brusilov offensive they were exhausted.
The army was in ruins, the people were short on food and there was unrest everywhere.

I don't see them making a huge impact in the war after early 1917 whether they stayed the course or not.
They were spent.

James A Pratt III
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Re: WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#5

Post by James A Pratt III » 03 Apr 2014, 02:11

If the February/March 1917 revolution had somehow been crushed and there were many times it could have. The Russian army by 1917 was a well equipped force. It had the central powers badly outnumbered. It may have been impossible for them to hold a line from the Baltic to the Black sea with the forces that they had. Note what happened at the start of the Kerensky offensive in 1917.
If somehow Nicholas had been able to hang on to power the Russian army would have attacked and broke through Brusilov offensive style in one or more places. The Austro-Hungarian Empire might have collapsed sometime in 1917. While the war could have continued until 1918 the Central powers would have had no choice but to surrender. The Turks also would have been hard up to stop a major Russian offensive in the Caucasus.
Result: Nicholas II is Nicholas the Great after all he helped win the war. The Germans don't have the stab in the back excuse as to why they lost the war. No Communism, Possibly no Hitler in power, Most likely no WW II. Russia is a great power as after the Napoleonic war.

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Re: WW1 What-if: Russia never makes peace

#6

Post by James A Pratt III » 03 Apr 2014, 22:48

As W.S. Churchill pointed out in "The World Crisis" on Russia "Her ship went down in sight of Port". One must also point out the night of 16/17 July 1918 when Nicholas and his family were murdered is about the same time the last of the great 1918 German offensives is called off.

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