climate of autocracy, the Romanov dynasty was firmly established in the societal framework of early 20th-century Russia. Having been in varying degrees of absolute political control over an approximate time period of four hundred years, their eventual undoing marked a power shift polarising the imperial regime laid out by countless Tsars beforehand. Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, is recognised to have a degree of personal responsibility for the downfall of the Romanovs, yet the extent to which
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was an infamous Siberian ‘holy man’, whose ability to cure the Tsar and Tsarina’s son of haemophilia led to him becoming an important friend and spiritual advisor to the Romanov royal family (Duffy, 2009). Rasputin was a paradox, by day he was a supreme mystic at court and at night he obtained a reputation as a notorious drunk and philanderer (Rae & Thompson, 2014). By 1916 Rasputin was viewed by many as a malevolent puppeteer who infiltrated his way into the royal family
Nicholas II was known, not only for being the Emperor of Russia but also for his character and personality which undoubtably led him to his own downfall. Nicholas was often referred to as not being ready to become Tsar as well as being a weak leader. Firstly, Nicholas II himself, amongst a very large proportion of Russian society, believed that he was not prepared to be coronated Emperor. Nicholas himself stated “What is going to happen to me and all of Russia? I am not prepared to be a Tsar. I never
Constitutionalism was seen as insufficient. The importance of political system became less important, as concerns over social and economic forces moved to the forefront. Socialism seemed appealing to Westernizers due to the application of modern European thought, while traditionalists saw it as a return to the old Russian populist values. The rift between the aristocracy and the general public had become completely unbridgeable. The intelligentsia and nobility had grown to hate one another, each feeling
Gregory Efimovich Rasputin is one of the most debated characters of the 20th Century. Thousands have discussed whether Rasputin was a holy man who came to the aide of the royal family or more simply, a cheat who thrived in womanising and in truth, a man who had a debauched sexual appetite. After all the word "Rasputin" in Russian mean "the debauched one". But in the following pages, I will try to explore a better side of Rasputin; I will attempt to give an accurate