Why Is Rasputin Likely To Have Undermined The Image Of The Royal Family

Rasputin is likely to have undermined the image of the Royal family through his lack of class, uncouth appearance and the rumours he made no effort to deny of his orgies and wild drunken parties. Also, if he did sleep with the Tsarina and her two eldest daughter as was rumoured, then that would make the Tsar look very foolish. Also, one of the reasons the Tsar had been respected up to this point was that he was meant to be God appointed. If this was the case then he would not be assimilating with a lowly peasant.

The Tsar had been handing much power back to the people, such as free speech, freedom of conscience and uncensored papers. This was to quell the first Russian Revolution and prevent any further uprisings and disputes. After Rasputin returned in 1912 he brought the Tsar into conflict with the now far freer press and brought back all the troubles which had been buried under the surface after the Tsar’s promises to the people.
The fact that Prince Yusupov decided to secretly kill the Tsar’s friend was because it was clear Rasputin was damaging the reputation of the royal family.
When Nicolas II made the terrible mistake of taking over the running of the war, he not only damaged his own reputation by being forced to take the blame for the defeats, but he also put the Tsarina in charge. The Tsarina proved to be intolerant of the Duma and it appeared to everybody else that Rasputin was running the country, this idea was likely inspired by the leaked and probably altered letters from the Tsarina to
Rasputin.

A letter from the Tsarina to Nicholas at the war front (source 9) shows how much control Rasputin had. The Tsarina urges her husband to listen to Rasputin as she believes he was sent by God. When Nicolas appoints Polianov as the Minister of War, she objects on the grounds that Rasputin does not like him. Rumours also spread that the Tsarina was a German spy, purposely damaging Russia and its war effort.

As the war worsened for the Russians the Tsar and Tsarina lost support and became increasingly unpopular. Even the aristocracy lost respect for the Tsarina and blamed the Tsar for allowing Rasputin so much influence. Unfortunately for the Tsar the winter of 1916 was bad, resulting in problems with transporting food around the country. As prices for basic amenities such as bread went up, so did the chances of revolution.

The starvation of the Russian people in 1916 and early 1917 could be regarded as the trigger for the revolution. The strikes and demonstrations built up and became more violent, the lack of bread would have added to the strain on the Russian people, and when the military finally rebelled, there was no chance left for the Tsar. As Rasputin was dead at this point a lot of the blame rests on the Tsar.

Although the influence of Rasputin was destructive, on its own it was not enough to bring about the end of Tsarist rule. The way Tsar treated his ministers with contempt and did not care about the people of his country would have angered and upset everyone. Although Rasputin’s influence would have angered the middle and upper classes, on its own it was not enough to bring down the Tsar. However, combined with the effects of the war and the famine of the winter of 1916, it was devastating to the Tsar’s reputation and ended the Tsarist rule.