Winning the War 1. Why did Russia's withdrawal from the war hurt the Allies?

Answer 1

Russia's withdrawal from the war hurt the Allies for several reasons:

1. Loss of troops and resources: With Russia's withdrawal, the Allied forces lost a significant number of troops, making the overall manpower of the Allies weaker. Additionally, the loss of Russia's vast resources, such as raw materials and weapons, made it harder for the Allies to sustain and replenish their forces.

2. Eastern Front collapse: Russia's withdrawal left a massive power vacuum in Eastern Europe, allowing Germany to shift their forces from the Eastern Front to the Western Front. This brought about a more concentrated and stronger German force that the Allies had to face.

3. Increased pressure on Western Front: With the Eastern Front collapsing, Germany was able to focus more of its military might on the Western Front, increasing the pressure on the remaining Allies. This meant that the Western Allies had to face an even more determined German force, making their task of winning the war much more difficult.

4. Diminished hopes for a two-front war: One of the key strategies of the Allies was to force Germany to fight a two-front war, with the Western Allies attacking from the west and the Eastern Allies (Russia) attacking from the east. However, with Russia's withdrawal, this strategy collapsed, and Germany was able to concentrate its forces solely on the Western Front.

5. Loss of a powerful ally: Russia was a significant military power, and its withdrawal weakened the overall strength and morale of the Allies. Losing the support of a powerful ally, who had fought alongside them for years, was a demoralizing blow to the Allied forces.

Overall, Russia's withdrawal from the war significantly weakened the Allied forces, both in terms of manpower and resources, and allowed Germany to concentrate their forces on the Western Front, making the Allied victory more challenging to achieve.