Over the recent years Russians have discovered more details about the WWI which has been in the shadow of the revolution and the Civil War.
MOSCOW, November 7, 2018. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents the data of a survey devoted to the centennial of the World War I.
Today more and more Russians consider that Russia won the World War I (49%), whereas four year ago only 34% of respondents thought so. Thirty-three percent of Russians say that Russia lost in that war (35% in 2014). The number of the undecided has declined twofold over the recent years (11% in 2018 vs 24% in 2014).
The share of those who support Russia’s participation in the WWI (42%) overweighs the share of opponents (36%). The ratio was different four years ago: 30% of respondents said it was important, while 42% opposed them.
For the time being, Russians are increasingly confident that Russia would have won in WWI if the revolution had not happened (51% vs 40% four years ago). The number of those who think that Russia would not have won WWI even if the revolution had not happened has decreased to 22% (from 27% in 2014).
As to possible reasons for Russia’s entry into WWI, respondents mention Russia’s obligations towards the allies (11%), need for defense (9%), provocation (6%) and lacking exit strategy (4%).
According to a majority of respondents (52%), numerous tragic events are linked to the Russian participation in WWI; heroic pages are mentioned by 29%.
The top most mentioned WWI events involve the Brusilov Offensive (10%), the use of chemical weapons, the dead men attack in the Osovets defense fortress (6%).
The initiative nationwide VCIOM-Sputnik survey was conducted on November 3, 2018. The survey involved 1,600 Russians aged 18 and over. The survey was telephone-based and was carried out using stratified dual-frame random sample based on a complete list of landline and mobile phone numbers operating in Russia. The data were weighted according to selection probability and social and demographic characteristics. The margin of error at a 95% confidence level does not exceed 1.8%. In addition to sampling error, minor changes in question wording and different circumstances arising during the fieldwork can introduce bias into the survey.
In 1914 the First World War broke out. This month marks the centennial anniversary of the end of WWI (1918). In your opinion, did Russia win or lose in WWI? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of total respondents) | |||
| 2014 | 2018 |
|
Russia won | 34 | 49 |
|
Russia lost | 35 | 33 |
|
I know nothing about WWI* | - | 1 |
|
Other (specify) | 7 | 5 |
|
Don’t know | 24 | 12 |
|
*In 2014 this answer option was not offered
In your opinion, why did Russia enter the WWI? (open-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of those who are aware of the war) | |
To protect the allies /obligations towards the allies | 11 |
Protection / defense / we were attacked / Germany attacked | 9 |
We were drawn into it / we were forced / it was engineered | 6 |
There was a need / Russia had to / there was no any other way out | 4 |
Short-sighted government / wrong policy / government’s fault | 3 |
Protection of our own interests / our own ambitions | 2 |
Discontent with government / revolution / Civil war | 2 |
Politics / political situation | 2 |
Territory partition / expanding territories / struggle for money, natural resources | 2 |
Foreign policy / foreign threat | 2 |
Government decided / tsar' s decision | 2 |
Strengthening the influence worldwide | 1 |
Poor living in Russia / country weakened / internal problems | 1 |
It just happened / circumstances | 1 |
Russia stood up for Serbia | 1 |
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand | 1 |
Russia always helps / for justice | 1 |
For Slavic people / for the Orthodox Christians | 1 |
To distract people from internal problems | 1 |
They wanted changes / they wanted a better life for people | 1 |
Economy / Economic problems | 0.4 |
Always fighting | 0.4 |
Lenin had a collusion with the Germans | 0.2 |
Because it was a world war and Russia is a global power | 0.2 |
Strong power / good power | 0.2 |
They thought they would win | 0.1 |
Other | 1 |
Don’t know | 53 |
Which of the following statements do you agree with most? Should Russia have participated in WWI or not? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who are aware of the war) | ||
| 2014 | 2018 |
Russia should have participated in WWI | 30 | 42 |
Russia should not have participated in WWI | 42 | 36 |
Don’t know | 27 | 22 |
Which of the following statements do you agree with most? Russia would have won in the WWI, if the revolution had not happened OR Russia would have not won even if the revolution had not happened? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who are aware of the war) | ||
| 2014 | 2018 |
Russia would have won in WWI, if the revolution had not happened | 40 | 51 |
Russia would not have won in WWI, even if the revolution had not happened | 27 | 22 |
Don’t know | 33 | 27 |
Which of the following statements do you agree with most? Are there more tragic or heroic pages related to Russia’s participation in the WWI? (closed-ended question, one answer, % of those who are aware of the war) | |
| Total respondents |
Russia’s participation in WWI is full of tragic pages | 52 |
Russia’s participation in WWI is full of heroic pages | 29 |
Don’t know | 19 |
Please, name three WWI-related events you know? (open-ended question, up to 3 answers, % of those who are aware of the war) | |
|
|
Brusilov Offensive | 10 |
Use of chemical weapons / gas attacks / dead men attack/ Osovets fortress defense | 6 |
Revolution / Lenin coming to power / Storming of the Winter Palace | 3 |
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand | 2 |
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk/ peace treaty not beneficial to Russia | 2 |
Nicholas II demise | 1 |
Famine / diseases / havoc / everything was bad | 1 |
First tanks | 1 |
Creation of women' s battalion | 1 |
Russian army' s offensive | 1 |
Civil war / civil unrest / a split into the red and the white | 0.5 |
Aurora' s shot | 0.5 |
Defeat of Samsonov' s army | 0.5 |
First aviation | 0.4 |
Battles in France | 0.4 |
Russian-Turkish War / military operations in Turkey | 0.4 |
Invention of gas mask | 0.3 |
Battle of the Masurian Lakes | 0.3 |
Bloody Sunday | 0.3 |
Victories of Russian soldiers | 0.3 |
Empires’ dissolution / Europe partition, boundary adjustment | 0.3 |
Great Retreat | 0.3 |
The execution of the Royal family | 0.3 |
Mass Desertion | 0.3 |
Battle of Verdun | 0.3 |
Wild division | 0.2 |
Germany attacked / German invasion into Russia’s territory | 0.2 |
Fire in Moscow | 0.2 |
Armenian Genocide | 0.2 |
The start of the war / Russia’s entry into the war / Germany announced the war | 0.2 |
My personal thing (my grandfather participated/grandfather died) | 0.2 |
Prussia / battles in Prussia | 0.2 |
Germany's defeat / Victory of the Entente | 0.2 |
Defense of Petrograd | 0.2 |
Siege of Przemysl | 0.2 |
Galicia / battles in Galicia | 0.2 |
February 23 | 0.2 |
Battle of the Somme | 0.1 |
1917 | 0.1 |
Kolchak’s army | 0.1 |
Battles in Finland / Mannerheim line | 0.1 |
Many people were killed | 0.1 |
Concentration camps | 0.1 |
Treaty of Versailles | 0.1 |
Battle of the Marne | 0.1 |
Other | 3 |
Don’t know / no answer | 76 |
Note: Using materials from the site www.wciom.ru or wciom.com, as well as distributed by VCIOM, the reference to the source (or hyperlink for the electronic media) is obligatory!