▁un common . ▁By ▁ 1 9 1 6 , ▁however , ▁the ▁situation ▁had ▁improved ▁in ▁many ▁respect s . ▁Russian ▁troops ▁stopped ▁retre ating , ▁and ▁there ▁were ▁even ▁some ▁mod est ▁success es ▁in ▁the ▁off ens ives ▁that ▁were ▁st aged ▁that ▁year , ▁al beit ▁at ▁great ▁loss ▁of ▁life . ▁Also , ▁the ▁problem ▁of ▁short ages ▁was ▁largely ▁solved ▁by ▁a ▁major ▁effort ▁to ▁increase ▁domestic ▁production . ▁Nevertheless , ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 6 , ▁mor ale ▁among ▁soldiers ▁was ▁even ▁worse ▁than ▁it ▁had ▁been ▁during ▁the ▁great ▁retre at ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 5 . ▁The ▁fort unes ▁of ▁war ▁may ▁have ▁improved , ▁but ▁the ▁fact ▁of ▁war ▁remained ▁which ▁contin ually ▁took ▁Russian ▁lives . ▁The ▁crisis ▁in ▁mor ale ▁( as ▁was ▁argued ▁by ▁All an ▁Wild man , ▁a ▁leading ▁historian ▁of ▁the ▁Russian ▁army ▁in ▁war ▁and ▁revolution ) ▁" was ▁root ed ▁fund ament ally ▁in ▁the ▁feeling ▁of ▁utter ▁desp air ▁that ▁the ▁sla ugh ter ▁would ▁ever ▁end ▁and ▁that ▁anything ▁res emb ling ▁victory ▁could ▁be ▁achieved ." ▁ ▁The ▁war ▁did ▁not ▁only ▁dev ast ate ▁soldiers . ▁By ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 5 , ▁there ▁were ▁manifold ▁signs ▁that ▁the ▁economy ▁was ▁breaking ▁down ▁under ▁the ▁height ened ▁stra in ▁of ▁w art ime ▁demand . ▁The ▁main ▁problems ▁were ▁food ▁short ages ▁and ▁rising ▁prices . ▁In fl ation ▁drag ged ▁in comes