The Last Tsar's War: Russia in World War I

The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History · Aug 1, 2026 · 8m · transcript

In 1914, Nicholas II led the Russian Empire into a war that would shatter it from within. This episode traces the catastrophic first months of Russia's involvement in World War I—from the disastrous Battle of Tannenberg to the shell crisis that crippled the army. We follow the doomed general Alexander Samsonov, the surprising rise of the War Industries Committees, and the slow unraveling of the tsar's authority as he took personal command of the front. Through the lens of ordinary soldiers and commanders alike, we see how the war exposed the rot beneath the Romanov autocracy…