The Attitude of the Political Parties of the Russian Empire to the War With Austria-Hungary and Germany in 1914

Relevance. The war that began in 1914 met the growing needs of the bourgeoisie class, as it was a source of enormous profits. In the event of a victory, Russia would gain exclusive dominance over the Black Sea, Asia Minor and the Balkan Peninsula. The war was also supposed to serve as a lightning rod against the growing revolutionary movement and the impending revolution. On the eve of the war, the labor movement in Russia reached exceptional tension, in its scope it was comparable to the revolutionary year 1905. In such circumstances, the war was supposed to "extinguish" the growing discontent of the people. The study of the attitude of political parties in the Russian Empire to the war is of not only theoretical but also practical interest, since the possibilities of preventing a new world war are largely related to the position of various social forces, political parties, the state of civil society, and the ability to negotiate controversial issues. Purpose. To investigate the attitude of the political parties of the Russian Empire to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Objectives: to analyze the political situation in the country by 1914 and characterize the positions of Russian political parties in their attitude to the war. Methodology. The author's methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity. The methods of information synthesis and analysis, the method of generalization of the obtained data, and the ideographic method are also used. Results . In the study, the author shows the process of unification of Russian political parties in relation to the war with Austria-Hungary and Germany that began in 1914. At that moment, all party barriers fell, and representatives of political parties recognized the need for a war to a victorious end. But the Mensheviks and Trudoviks opposed war loans, and the Bolsheviks protested against the war. Conclusion. An analysis of the sources showed that the war consolidated Russian society. Representatives of all parties, except the Social Democrats, supported Russia's participation in the war, considering it defensive.