Russia at the Beginning of World War I

On the eve of World War I, Russia was feeling rather inadequate. Nicholas II's reign as tsar had been plagued by failure. He had lost the Russo-Japanese War quite embarrassingly to the brand-new Japan. Defeat here was so shocking because a major Western power had been beaten by an Eastern power. Loss in this war disillusioned the Russian people of his power and thus in 1905 a Revolution ensued in Russia. The suppression of protesters with armed troops only incited it more. Finally, Nicholas II gave into their demands in the October Manifesto, which granted power to the Duma, which was a Parliament, but then later he took this back.
Nicholas II believed in his divine right to rule Russia, and desperately wanted to prove the might of Russia. Thus when World War I started, Russia was on of the first countries to join in against the Germans. However, Russia did not prove itself to be militarily competent in this war. Additionally, the people's fear of the influence of Rasputin over the Tsar and his queen put even more mistrust into the hearts of the Russia people. Finally the Russian people revolted against the tsardom in the March Revolution. This was supported by the vast majority of Russians. It was led by the people in the cities, and then the peasants in the country gladly contributed. However, this revolution, after overthrowing the tsardom and forcing Nicholas II to abdicate his power did not have fully realized goals. A provisional government was set up, but would prove to be unstable. Kerensky's decision to not leave World War I would doom any chances it had of surviving. At this time the Socialist movement in Russia, ironically a movement designed for the worker, but whose teaching had found meaning among the peasants, was incredibly varied, but Lenin would change this with his Bolshevik Revolution. Russia had gone to war in World War I, only to find itself at war with itself.