If the czar had stayed in power past 1917 would he have been forced out by the nazis

[Benedict XVI]

That is true although the Schlieffen plan was a complete and total falure the french didn't quit like the germans thought it was a good guess and a good plan on paper but it failed the test. with the assaistnation of Franz Ferdinad it started a chain of events that i doubt could be reversed. so in the end i would bet that the same events would have happened and there would still be a World war I.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

WWI was an idiot's disaster, brought on by morons who thought the new technologies would be like playing war games. No one person was to blame, a bunch of persons were to blame. Whether Nicholas mobilized first second or third, the deaths he caused because of an ill-advised war isn't the same as the deaths Stalin oversaw.

 

[NGalitzine]

Russia was very unprepared for war. Although its armed forces were large, they were not well equiped or supplied to fight a modern war. Nicholas II did what he could to avoid war, trying to get the Kaiser to negotiate peace at the Hague etc but Russia was honour bound to aid its fellow Salvs in Serbia and once Germany took action there was no going back. Nicky felt the Kaiser had lied to him.

 

[Kataryn]

I will say that Nicholas could have avoided war but chances are the kaiser was a land greedy person and probably would gave declared war on them but maybe a little later I don't know for sure.

Other than Hitler the Kaiser was not an absolute ruler - he was the first among equals, as he was king "of Prussia" nut "German" emperor - most parts of Germany did not belong to Prussia but were more or less still independant states and any land gain for "The German empire" would have led to the formation of another little kingdom with its own ruler. The Austrian and German emperor already had plans for a kingdom of Poland which they installed in 1916 with an Archduke of Austria as new king. So I doubt it was greed for land.

 

[auntie]

Good morn' to all of you, I am relaxing with my Sunday morning coffee. I remember reading a few years ago that soldiers during WWII said the difference between the Tzarist regime, and Stalin's regime, is that in WWI the food they received was bug infested, and they revolted against the Tzar, and now the food is bug infested, but they dare not complain.

 

[Benedict XVI]

When I first read this I laughed. But it is actually very truthful the tsar was week and Stalin wasn't afraid to kill them all.

Other than Hitler the Kaiser was not an absolute ruler - he was the first among equals, as he was king "of Prussia" nut "German" emperor - most parts of Germany did not belong to Prussia but were more or less still independant states and any land gain for "The German empire" would have led to the formation of another little kingdom with its own ruler. The Austrian and German emperor already had plans for a kingdom of Poland which they installed in 1916 with an Archduke of Austria as new king. So I doubt it was greed for land.

I just got done reading on world war 1 and you are right land wasn't his main concern I would say that it was simply a bonus. From what I read it was more of a way for the kaiser to get better trade because the Great Powers of Europe saw how well of the germans were military wise so they put limit to trading with Germany. But also we must remember that since 1878 the Great Powers had been building up for a war. So when in 1914 all the relations of Europe began to deteriorate then each country was preparing for war. I had read a book on the causes of war (very interesting) the author said that once the new generation comes of age they don't know of the terrible stuff of war they only know of the honor and the adventure. I also read that before 1914 the great powers of europe had been talking hostile things about each other and 1914 was the climax of this stuff. So I do believe that Nicholas could and should have demobilized the army and that would have given everyone more time to prepare for war but I doubt that the chain of events could have been stopped altogether but it could have been postponed. Another thing would be that Nicholas and russia in general believed that the Balkans where their people so they felt the need to protect Serbia and other countries from the wrath of Austria.