Downfall of Tsar Nicholas II and WW1

Downfall of Tsar Nicholas II and WW1 To what extent was the First World War responsible for the downfall of Tsar Nicholas II? Jack Boag, Thursday, 26 January 2017 Shortly after Russia became the first member of the Entente to enter the First World War on the side of Serbia, Tsar Nicholas II, a devoutly religious man, prayed for hours on end in his private chapel, repeating the line from the Our Father, Thy Will Be Done. Then, God appeared to him, and instructed him to take personal command of the armies and lead from the front. These events could be said to have led to the downfall of both the Tsar personally, and autocracy as a whole. However, from a moral standpoint, what he did was perhaps commendable. His desire to join his troops at the front rather than watch the oncoming slaughter from the Winter Palace increased his popularity and the popularity of the war. In addition to his devout religious beliefs, he felt that his duty was to serve, rather than rule over his subjects. In short, he did the wrong thing for the right reasons. To quote Dominic Lieven, Nicholas loved his country and served it loyally to the best of his ability. He had n ot sought power and he was not, by temperament or personality, well equipped to wield it. Possibly the most catastrophic mistake upon going to the front was leaving the nation under the governance of the Tsarina Alexandra (his wife) and the rather dubious holy man Grigori Rasputin. In the words of Orlando Figes This was autocracy without an autocrat. Both Alexandra and Rasputin were incredibly unpopular, and the general populace were very suspicious of them. The fact that Alexandra was German made things worse, and false accusations of her being a German spy were commonplace. Rasputin didnt help himself either, and his indulgences outside of his duties to the Imperial Family became Russias worst kept secret. There was even (probably unfounded) rumours of the two having an affair. Cartoons of them in bed together were constantly going round all the major Russian newspapers. Both Alexandra and Rasputin valued loyalty over ability and this guided their choice of ministers horrendous judgement on their part. It is often said about the Western Front that reason for the mass slaughter was that it was a war conducted using 19th Century tactics, but with 20th Century weapons. However, the Russian Army was still stuck in the previous century. It had never seen victory against an adversary of a similar size in nearly 100 years. The Crimean War was a disaster, and defeat in the Manchurian War against Japan was an utter humiliation for Nicholas II. It the Russian Army could be defeated by the Japanese, how would it fare 10 years on against the Germans, who had modernised their army, while the Russian one had not changed since their defeat in Manchuria. The slaughter at the Battles of Tannenburg and the Masurian Lakes was on such a scale that the Russian Generals, in order to spare their men more pain, opened fire on them. General Samsonov, in charge of the Russian Army at Tannenburg, committed suicide shortly afterwards in shame. 70,000 Russian soldiers died at Tannenburg and 125,000 Russians di ed at the Masurian Lakes. The following extract is a report from the front. The army had neither wagons nor horses nor first aid supplies. We visited the Warsaw station where there was about 17,000 men wounded in battles. At the station we found a terrible scene: on the platform in dirt, rain and cold, in the rain on the ground even without straw, wounded, who filled the air with heart-rending cries, dolefully asked: For Gods sake, order them to dress our wounds, for five days we have not been attended to. More Russians were killed than any other nationality during the war (considering the Germans were fighting on two fronts, unlike the Russians). In terms of the Entente, Russians make up approx. 40% of the dead and 50% of the wounded (About 4 million Russians died and about 5 million were wounded). However, the pre-existing conditions for an uprising were already there. Russias view of the Tsar was mainly an outcome of Bloody Sunday in 1905, where the Imperial Guard opened fire on unarmed demonstrators. From that point forward, the writing was on the wall for autocracy in Russia, and for Nicholas. He came across as out of touch with the common man and incredibly oppressive. His concessions were not really concessions, as the Duma (Russias Assembly that Nicholas reluctantly agreed to) had no real power. On the international stage, the war with Japan over colonial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea was a disaster. An unhappy people, and an unhappy military after that defeat. This meant the clock had been ticking for Nicholas II for 9 years prior to the war. In conclusion, the war itself was a disaster for Russia. Their army was top-heavy and woefully ill-equipped, as was shown by the Manchurian debacle in 1905. Nicholas II going to the front with his men was commendable from a moral standpoint, but was political disaster for him. Tsarina Alexandra and Rasputin were unequal to the task of governing the nation and were heavily criticised in the popular press. However, the war itself was only a catalyst for what was already set in stone after Bloody Sunday and the Russo-Japanese War.

Effects of Optimism on Psychological and Physical Health

Effects of Optimism on Psychological and Physical Health Heather LaBombard PSY/220 The definition of the word â€Å"optimism† is a favorable attitude about conditions or events in life. Some believe that optimistic views in life will have beneficial effects on psychological and physical health. However, excessive optimism can have harmful effects on psychological and physical health. Many tests and research have been done on people to see if optimism does in fact have an effect on psychological and physical health. According to one of the articles that I researched about the effects of optimism on physical health suggested that people who have an optimistic view tend to engage in health-promoting actions such as: not smoking, not drinking alcohol, watching their diet, using sunscreen, taking vitamins, and other health-related actions. According to the Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior Management (2004) there have been studies on people who optimistic about their lives and the studies have shown that the optimistic people are less likely to become sick or to develop a disease as a person who is pessimistic. In a study that monitored the blood pressure of people doing normal activities the results showed that a person who was optimistic had less of a chance of elevated blood pressure than a pessimist. Another study has shown that optimism can lead to faster recoveries from surgeries or an accident. . However, a person who has an optimistic view may think that everything will go his or her way and that nothing can go wrong for either one of them. This could lead them to taking behavioral risks, such as: engaging in unprotected sex, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, smoking cigarettes and not taking care of their general health. I know that when I have been pessimistic about events going on in my life I have started to think unhealthy. I tend to become sick more often when I do not have a good attitude. When I do think optimistically I am full of energy and I act like I am happy. In my personal opinion I agree that optimism has an impact on physical health and it could be negative or positive. Optimism plays a part in psychological health. According to the article that I researched about the effects of optimism on psychological health optimists face challenges more effectively than pessimists and therefore benefit psychologically (Wimberley, Carver, & Antoni, 2008). The article is about women who have breast cancer and how optimism plays a role in their well-being. Optimism is associated with a lower level of distress on breast cancer patients. Studies show that optimistic women who have breast cancer feel physically attractive (Wimberley, Carver, & Antoni, 2008). The breast cancer patients were also optimistic about interpersonal relationships, which is also psychologically rewarding. Studies have shown that optimistic people have better interpersonal relationships and social support; therefore are more optimistic about their illness because they believe that they have a support system. An optimistic attitude about learning about the education of breast cancer also showed that the women had a better sense of well-being. Although being optimistic in life is good for psychological well-being, it can also bring some ill effects for a woman who has breast cancer. According to Pinquart, Frohlich, & Silbereisen (2007) a woman with breast cancer may develop an optimistic attitude about the diagnosis of breast cancer and expect a good outcome about side effects and the treatment. This does not happen very often, which could lead to psychological distress. I agree with both aspects of effects on psychological and physical health. A person who has a good attitude toward life in general tends to lead a healthier life physically and psychologically. However, having too much optimism in life may be damaging to a person’s physical health and psychological health. As long as optimism is used in a positive way, a person can lead a happy and healthy life. References OPTIMISM, PESSIMISM, AND HEALTH. (2004). In Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior Management, Sage. Retrieved from http://www. credoreference. om/entry/sageeohabm/optimism_pessimism_and_health Pinquart, M. , Frohlich, C. , & Silbereisen, R. (2007). Optimism, pessimism, and change of psychological well-being in cancer patients. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 12(4), 421-432. doi:10. 1080/13548500601084271. Wimberly, S. , Carver, C. , & Antoni, M. (2008). Effects of optimism, interpersonal relationships, and distress on psychosexual well-being among women with early stage breast cancer. Psychology & Health, 23(1), 57-72. Retrieved from CINAHL Plus with Full Text database.

Adolescence Is A Part Of Life That Everyone Will Go Into A...

Adolescence Adolescence is thought of by most people as a difficult time between the ages of 12 and 18 that comes with an absolute certainty of change. All types of change, it can be physical, psychological, social, and people even change on a chemical level. Adolescence is also a time that people start to find themselves and they are able to make their own choices and become their own person. It is a very crucial period in an individual’s life because it is the moment to become independent, or at least practicing some amount of independence. This practice will prepare them for later in life when they are actually living on their own and making their own decisions. Adolescence is a needed stage to grow and develop into a functional†¦show more content†¦They become more skilled at sports or become more advanced with fine motor skills like writing and drawing. Along with all the physical changes comes physiological changes. The brain grows and hormones are released. This causes a growth spurt witch is a well-known characteristic of being a teenager. The growth spurt can be accompanied with growing pains, an increase in height, and a decrease in weight because the individual sprouted upwards. These all happen because hormones secreting from cells in the body tell it to. Along with hormones other changes are happening as well. People between the ages of 12 to 18 develop the ability of metacognition or the ability to think about thinking. They also develop the ability to have an abstract thought process which means that they are able to think about things in a logical sense on a consistent basis (Caskey, Anfara, 2007). They will use these characteristics to excel in school and excel socially throughout their middle school and high school years. The brain is growing and developing the whole time when people are going through adolescence and b ecause of this it tends to be a very stressful time for most individuals. Overall adolescence go through many different changes. The changes come in a variety of ways and people may be expecting them or they may not, but either way change is inevitable. These changes give every individual to change for the better

The Autobiography of Malcom X by Alex Haley - 856 Words

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is about a man who forever changed America. Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz spoke out against the effects of discrimination, racism and segregation. He went through many different stages in his life as he fought for equal treatment of colored individuals. The three stages that really changed the way Malcolm X thought were his experiences while incarcerated, his entering into the religion of Islam by following Elijah Muhammad, and the biggest turning point in his life, his first and last pilgrimage to the holy Islamic city of Mecca. In all of Malcolm teachings, in his transformations and actions we can derive different viewpoints. While Malcolm X was incarcerated he had completed his first transformation in life. Like many past greats, they all suffered a low point in their lives. Malcolm X’s low point was when he was into the usage of drugs, hustling, and money. He became so fo cused on making a lot of money, so much so that he and some of his friends decided to rob a house of an elderly white man. Malcolm and his friends were immediately caught for the crime and not only were they charged but were also charged with having sexual intercourse with white women. A white woman having any sort of sexual relation with a colored individual was extremely frowned upon. Malcolm and his friend, who went by the nickname, Shorty were found guilty and sentenced to six years behindShow MoreRelatedThe Autobiography of Malcom X as Told to Alex Haley Essay749 Words   |  3 PagesPurpose Alex Haley is the author of the book. The central theme of the book is to reflect the perspective of a black man in an era that called for equality struggles between races in the United States while battling views on racism and his rise and fall within the Nation of Islam religion. 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