Tsar Nicholas II Research Paper

In 1917 the Russian revolution had began, this was the biggest factor in the fall of the Romanov dynasty. The white Russians arrested the tsarist and abdicated him from his throne putting Nicholas and his family on house arrest and he was no longer known as the Tsar, replacing him with a Bolshevik government. The red Russians had captured Nicholas and his family causing a civil war between the white and red Russians. In July 1918 Lenin and his red Russian squad had won the civil war, and shot Nicholas and his family, leaving Russia a communist country until the 1990’s.

I personally believe that Nicholas II was responsible for his own downfall. Although there was definitely contributing factors, his naive attitude and inability to effectively rule a country caused his downfall. Nicholas failed to trust key advisors such as Witte and Stolypin and despite him issuing the October Manifesto; he preserved his own autocratic power through the fundamental laws, which the Russian people didn’t like. He failed to think and plan ahead to create a better future for Russia, he didn’t think like a leader should. Even though the war was already a huge strain

The fall of the Romanov Dynasty in 1914 proved that the Tsar could not handle the problems of Russia. Ironically, he would have been ideal as a constitutional monarch, but was adamant against the idea. As the First World War started Russia’s problems arises, from short-term and long-term causes. The war brought back inflation which led to “demonstrations over food shortages combined with workers’ grievances,” (Hosking, 2012, p. 91) thus this destroyed Nicholas’s image as Father of Russia. Military became ineffective as the transport system was not adequate, thus leading to food supplies decreasing in key cities such as Petrograd. Historians believe the impacts of the First World War led to Russian society becoming unstable and was ultimately the main reason of the downfall of the Tsar. However other factors, such as the Tsarina placing large amounts of trust into Rasputin who was notorious for his reputation as an alcoholic and a womanizer (Westwood, 2002, p. 215) and the role of the revolutionaries due to Lenin promising peace, land and bread, eventually leading to the growth of the Bolsheviks Party. Although, it can most rightfully be deemed that the impact of the war was the main reason for the fall of Tsar Nicholas II in 1917.

In 1905 and 1917 Russia was tormented by chaotic revolutions. The workers and the intelligentsia had arrived at the point of hating the autocracy because they could no longer endure the suffering, hunger and repression that the tsarist policies brought with them. Years later Lenin referred to the revolution of 1905 as a “dress rehearsal for the October Revolution” of 1917. In 1905 tsardom nearly fell. Nicholas II succeeded in remaining in power, stabilizing the situation, only thanks to various concessions. However, his continuing to rule harshly and unwisely brought him to be forced to abdicate in the February of 1917, signing the end of the Russian monarchy.

The Romanov dynasty began in 1613, however 1917 saw an abrupt end to the Romanov’s with the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. Demonstrations and strikes gripped the Russian people and with anti-governmental soldiers taking control, the Tsar had no alternative but to abdicate. Historians such as Michael Lynch1 and John Daborn2 state that in Russia’s great need of strength and power came a Tsar of weakness and limited outlook. However historians such as Ray Pearson believe that in aggressive opposition groups and with the help of the working class aimed to bring down the Tsardom at all costs.

The lower class of Russia, which was composed of the working people felt misrepresented- or not represented at all.Nicholas II was the son of Alexander III of Russia, who was also the Emperor of Russia, before Nicholas. He was the heir of approximately 200 years of Czarist rule in Russia.Coming from a very rich family, Nicholas could hardly relate to the lower class. He had inherited Russia’s rule from his dad, and was not elected, which meant he was not necessarily qualified to correctly rule Russia, as he later proved through his actions.After he had angered the working class by slaughtering their own people, losing major battles in the war with Japan as well as in WWI, there was no way for him to amend for the mistakes he had made. Therefore, had the people been given the choice of taking down the Czar, they would have not hesitated.Their anger was represented through Lenin, with whom they felt they could connect to.Due to their dislike for the Czar, not many were dissatisfied when he was overthrown, and lated ordered to be executed by

Had Ivan not been paranoid and power hungry, the Russian State would not have been nearly as powerful and developed as it had become under Ivan’s rule. I believe that Ivan had some sort of mental illness and he directed his violent rage toward the boyars because of how they treated him during his childhood after the passing of his parents. Despite the fact that they should have been loyal to the then crowned Prince, they ignored his wishes, mistreated him, left him without enough food, and did not provide him with an education (Carswell

The first of these tsars, Ivan III, also known as “Ivan the Great”, defied Mongol control and declared the autonomy of Moscow. Ivan III was soon followed by Ivan IV, also known as “Ivan the Terrible”, who declared his power by pushing aside his advisors, crowning himself tsar and crushing boyars, who were Russian nobles. At first, Ivan’s reign was successful as he added vast new territories to the Russian empire. Later, after his wife’s death, Ivan’s power and prosperity declined because he started persecuting those whom he believed opposed him. This resulted in the execution of many nobles and their families, friends, servants and peasants, in which he replaced with a new service nobility, whose loyalty was “guaranteed by their dependent on the state for land and titles.” [1] Ivan the Terrible nor Ivan III were never absolute rulers- their ways of ruling just helped lay the foundation for Russian absolutism. After Ivan IV and his successor died, Russia entered a “Time of Troubles”, which lasted from 1598-1613, in which the peasant warrior bands known as Cossacks, rebelled against their nobles who fought back and defeated the Cossacks. Ivan’s grand-nephew, Michael Romanov, was soon elected by the Zensky Sober- a body of nobles, and placed efforts toward state-building. He was succeeded by “Peter the Great”, the Russian king that truly consolidated Russian

After the revolution there were several impacts, both positive and negative. Nicholas II abdicated which ended the Romanov dynasty after 300 years. He and his family were assassinated on 17 July 1918. Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik leader became the permanent ruler. He created free education throughout Russia (though children learned communist ideas, they were still being education about the world) and made an eight-hour working day, improving working conditions. Churches were burned down and religious leaders were killed. Russia backed out of the World War I on December 15 when Russia signed an armistice with Germany and Austria, pending a formal peace treaty. Lenin was desperate to end the war, as the Germans were threatening to

Rasputin’s influence over Alexandra allowed him to promote political allies to high-ranking state positions, leading to a massive reorganization of bureaucracy in 1915-1916 (Massie 389). Government officials soon believed that Rasputin’s presence was the source of too many of the troubles of the empire and posed a threat to the Romanov Dynasty. In December 1916, a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov plotted Rasputin’s death. After inviting him to a dinner party, they brutally murdered Rasputin, shooting him several times, beating him, poisoning him with cyanide, and finally throwing him into the Neva River (Rasputin 235; King 182). The Romanov Dynasty would collapse in the following year 1917 in the February.

For example, he made and established the Oprichniki which was a secret police taskforce to go after people that did not like Ivan IV. The police was made to have no involvement in government and made outside of the forces of law. The Police had about 6,000 members in it and they were not the nicest of men. This targeted mostly Russian nobles and aristocrats because they were educated and had power in Russia. Since the nobles and aristocrats received low power because of Ivan the terrible's new policies of the Sudebnik, the angry people went against the monarch and the government. However that was where the nobles went wrong because the Oprichniki police went after many of them to kill and take their lands. As many would think, the police would be in effect to protect and help the leader so nothing happens to him and his family like Ivan IV. However the police were not the nicest and cleanest of people because of the fact that the actions they did to many like in Novgorod. This city was a specific place where it got hit hard by Ivan’s secret police and a drawing from Apollinary Vasnetsov shows the terror they caused in the city and sadly many had died

The winter of 1916/1917 had a significant effect on the power of the Russian Empire. From food shortages to enormous losses on the front, Tsar Nicholas’s reign faced a crossroads; he was becoming even more unpopular among the people. This simmering tension came to a climax on February 23rd, when textile workers went on strike and demonstrated for bread, with the knowledge that Petrograd only had a flour supply that would last ten days. Metal workers soon followed the original demonstrators. A day later, the estimated amount of demonstrators was around 150,000-200,000 people, making it the most massive demonstration since World War I began. The next day, Nicholas II demanded to

Russia has a very colorful history that consisted of many revolutions and rulers. Tsar Alexander II Romanov died in 1881. Tsar Alexander II had a son named Alexander III.Tsar Alexander II freed the serfs in 1862. The serfs were the farmers that had to pay harsh taxes. When he died in 1881 Alexander III was tsar.

He both removed effective leadership from the war effort and removed himself from the seat of the political power in the empire. As the war on the Eastern Front dragged on, both factors conspired to lead Russia into catastrophe. A significant amount of responsibility for the military defeat of Russia and its descent into the horrors of revolution and communism must be laid at the feet of its last emperor. Nicholas's assumption of command is often condemned for increasing Alexandra's, and thereby Rasputin's, influence in government affairs. Her domination of Nicholas, and Rasputin's power over her, however, were already well established before his departure.

It was on the 22nd of August 1915 that the Tsar Nicholas the 2nd took control as head of the army and dismissed his uncle The Grand Duke Nicholai as the previous head. This meant hat the Tsar would be away from St Petersburg, which left the Tsarina and Rasputin in charge. This was mistakes for the Tsar as it made people see Russia’s army as weak and left numerous accusations of Rasputin and the Tsarina having a relationship.