Preview

The Downfall of Nicholas Ii and the Romanov Dynasty Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1131 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Downfall of Nicholas Ii and the Romanov Dynasty Essay Example
The Downfall of Nicholas II and the Romanov Dynasty

The downfall of the Romanov reign in 1917 was under the power of Tsar Nicholas II. The growing number of revolutionaries from 1905 as well as the impacts of war meant that a strong leader was needed to pull Russia through the difficult times and meet the needs of the suffering communities. A combination of the difficult circumstances and the weak-will of the Tsar was what led Russia to the revolution. Many actions of Tsar Nicholas II led to social uproar that helped to motivate the revolutionaries but even without these actions the Russian revolution was somewhat inevitable. The Bolsheviks words encouraged and helped the public realise how the Tsarist reign was causing the suffering and the only solution was to overthrow them completely even after the October Manifesto was released and a Duma was made. The fall of the Romanov dynasty was not caused by one factor but a combination of the unfortunate circumstances, wrong decisions and an unsuited leader.
Nicholas was not prepared to be Tsar when his father died. He is said to have sobbed to his cousin at his father’s death bed, “What is going to happen to me and to all of Russia? I am not prepared to be a tsar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing of the business of ruling. I have no idea even how to talk to the ministers.” Many claim that it was his weak-will that led to the downfall and his lack of ability to make appropriate and correct decisions. Nicholas did not inherit many of the powerful leadership qualities held by his father and was politically naïve but as a deeply religious man he still felt it was his divine right to be Tsar. Historians that voice their opinions on Nicholas’ association with the Revolution and handling Russia during this time claim him not to have had the intellect to handle situations appropriately and say he was a bad judge of the people due to his isolation from Russia at large and his only association with the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Czar Nicholas was famous for his autocratic ideas, meaning that he theoretically had total power. His autocratic belief led to an ineffective rule. Nicholas II was the leader of the Russian Empire; however, he was not prepared for the tremendous obligations of administration. The Britannica article, “Nicholas II” claims, “Neither by upbringing nor by temperament was Nicholas fitted for the complex tasks that awaited him as autocratic ruler of a vast empire.” This suggests that Czar Nicholas’s rule was doomed from the start of his czarship. Nicholas’s inexperience explained his ineffectiveness as a ruler. In addition, Czar Nicholas’s absolutist beliefs blinded him from change. Nicholas II’s belief that he had absolute power and stubbornness clouded his view of change. According to Encyclopedia.com’s “Nicholas II,” “[Nicholas] was too stubborn and very slow to recognize the need for change. Nicholas found it…

    • 613 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The autocratic rule that dominated the 300 year old dynasty was also a key factor in its destruction; the social unrest, clamour for political reform, backwardness of the Russian economy and the lack of reforms were all created by the Tsarist regime. The Romanov family ruled with an iron fist and used brutal violence to control its subjects. The repressive policies such as Russification and lack of effective reforms prevented the modernisation of the social and political aspects of the nation. Autocratic rulers promoted the feudalistic style class system which created extreme poverty in the lower classes and gave the people no political power. The introduction of ideas of liberty and an elected government into Russian society, contributed to the creation of revolutionary groups that aimed to overthrow the autocratic rulers and establish more liberal governments. This was first seen with the attempted political coup of the Decembrists that ultimately failed, however they were significant as the introduced a revolutionary trend and liberal views to the people. With the introduction of liberal views and equality, the people began to show their anger and frustration, caused by the Romanovs, through protests and revolutions, of which ultimately ended the Romanov Dynasty. The style of autocratic rulership is a key factor that impacted the fall of the Romanovs primarily because of the social issues it created.…

    • 1611 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In July 1918, the royal Romanov line was suddenly and brutally ended by the Bolsheviks. The Romanov family had ruled the Russian Empire for over three centuries. The Romanovs reign was one of strict tyranny. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia made one big step toward a more equal Russia by freeing the serfs but because the serfs owned no land they had little to no money still. After WWI when nicholas led Russia to a crushing defeat there was lots of unrest throughout Russia. I think that the main reason the Tsar was forced to abdicate the throne and then was slaughtered is that he made a more equal Russia but in doing so he made the serfs more impoverished than ever, that he had led Russia into multiple wars that had ended badly and that the technology…

    • 151 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    ‘Nicholas said over and over again: 'As God wills.' It wasn't as God wills. He had made mistakes and he was leading Russia in the wrong direction…’ - Robert K. Massie…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tsar Nicholas II was a very poor leader for the people of Russia, he lacked leadership skills. His poor leadership qualities lead too many problems within Russia that were not dealt with efficiently. For example he did not trust the Duma, in 1906 the first Duma was introduced; after 72 days Nicholas dissolved the Duma as he did not believe in their policies and he did not trust them. This angered many people, Nicholas was not giving anyone a chance to speak and help him to change Russia.…

    • 1510 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 1894 Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, inherited the throne when he was unprepared to do so. It is hard to do something when you are not ready. It is like letting a bull out of the chute when you were not ready, so you fall, but in Nicholas’s case a lot of things came down with him.…

    • 247 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Undeniably, Nicholas II had an enormous role in bringing about the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty in March 1917. Whilst many historians argue the fall of the Tsarist regime to be the direct response and product of World War I, it is quite evident that it was Nicholas’ inefficient and fatal autocratic ruling which led to the March Revolution of 1917. The effects of Russia’s involvement in numerous wars only heightened and highlighted Nicholas’ unsuitability for the role of Tsar, and his absolute and stubborn belief in autocracy. Had Nicholas’ various choices throughout his reign differed, the Romanov Dynasty could in fact, have existed…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Following the death of the last tsar of the Rurik dynasty, Russia entered in a period of violent social upheaval known as the Time of Troubles. Plagued by peasant uprisings, invasions, and false claims to the throne, the country was on the brink of collapse. Stability was required for the country to recover. In 1613, the “Zemsky Sobor” or assembly of the land elected young Mikhail Romanov to become the next tsar of Russia. His reign signaled the of the Time of Troubles as he returned prosperity to the country and established the great Romanov dynasty.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Russia's army performed poorly. And this things led him to his abdication. He did not have leadership and the form of government that he believes no longer fit the time so his decisions led to the murder of his family and the end of over three hundred years of Romanov rule. His father, Alexander, was a strong influence on Nicholas II, mainly with religious values (He believed in the orthodox church) and his belief in autocratic government (a form of government that is run by a single, self-appointed leader, called an autocrat, as opposed to a group of leaders or elected officials).…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The beginning of the Russian revolution, or Bolshevik revolution, is vital to the understanding of the event as a whole. The question is, "How did Nikolai Romanov fail?" Machiavelli attributes all failures of the state to failures of the prince, and it was no different in Nikolai II's case. In Chapter 19 of The Prince, Machiavelli states that the one thing a prince must avoid is the contempt of his people. Beginning on February 23rd (March 8th), 1917 factory workers in Petrograd started rioting for freedom and basic rights and against…

    • 1377 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Tsarist Autocracy

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Tsarist autocracy has succeeded for more than three hundred years, but the Russian Revolution that occurred on November 1917 ended the long term autocracy. During this time period, Tsar Nicholas II was the leader of Russia and indeed the last one. He caused Russia’s downfall and made many Russians frustrated about the government. The Tsar did not acknowledge the nation's problems and failed to improve the lives of the citizens. As the Russians struggled with limited rights and lack of help from Nicholas II, they had to make a move. Although peasant unrest led to the Russians protesting and rebelling against the country, the Russian Revolution occurred because of Tsar Nicholas II’s weak leadership, in which he failed to accomplished the Russian’s goals, horribly managed the military, and thought that the system should not change.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The cause of the fall of the Romanov dynasty in 1917 was a result of long-term causes including Tsar Alexander’s inability to satisfy his people and Tsar Nicholas II’s inability to rule to throne all together. The Bloody Sunday event, the war with Germany, Rasputin and Tsars bad decisions was also some of the causes which led the Romanovs to fall.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alexei, who puzzled the people - they didn’t know about his condition - and was seen as spoiled and unloveable by politicians, was reasonably killed. He followed his father’s way of life, one that the people of Russia greatly disliked. It also made sense that Alexandra, the tsarina, was killed, as the people mistrusted her and Rasputin. Wherever Alexandra went, Rasputin went too. On the other hand, Nicholas’s brother, Grand Duke Michael, was asked to take the throne. (He later on refused) Eventually though, as history tells, most of the Romanov family was led to their deaths. OTMA, on the other hand, were possibly murdered due to the fact that their parentage led people to believe the children would turn out like Nicholas II and Alexandra. Nicholas was actually an uneducated man. “He had few intellectual pretensions” and instead preferred to leave the politics and papers to others. His parents did not bother educating him well either; Nicholas was tutored by average and undesirable people. The upbringing of the tsar helped Nicholas rule the way he did, and look at other people the way he did. The tsar was not very smart, so he sent away all ministers that he thought were more intelligent than him due to superiority belief. The people might have thought that OTMA and Alexei would turn out the same way - as Alexei showed he…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Russian Revolution Causes

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Russian Revolution was one of the most important revolutions in history. Just like the French people, Russians got tired of being treated unfairly by the Higher classes, and so decided to revolt against them. However unlike the French, they could not be satisfied, or entertained for long by a single revolution, reason why they did many revolts. Each time retreating at its middle, until they finally were annoyed and determined enough to overthrow the Government and change their lives as they knew it. Even so, that wasn’t the only cause of the Russian Revolution, along the many revolts came various relevant causes and events, but only few of them stood out, with such importance to today’s history of the causes for the Russian…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bolshevik Takeover

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In March of 1917 in Russia, The Tsar, Nicholas II had little choice. The Great War (as it was known as at that time) had turned into a disaster, conditions at home were horrible, and the Menshevik government had forced Nicholas to abdicate He did this for himself and his son and gave the power to his brother. His brother gave up the power the next day because the country was in such disarray. After that, the Provisional Government took power. By November of 1917 in Russia, the Provisional Government was in complete collapse. In the meantime, the Bolshevik party, which was helped by German money, had built up an efficient party organisation, had a brilliant propaganda machine, and a powerful private army know as the Red Guards.…

    • 592 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays