Many American newspapers predicted many years in advance that Czar Nicholas II's dynasty would soon collapse due to his bad decisions and in ability to rule. He is generally seen by historians as a bad leader, and it's unlikely he could have handled ruling a country such as Russia for many more years than he did. Even if Russia hadn't been weakened by the War, the Revolution would still have happened and succeeded due to the tyrannical and idiotic actions of Nicholas II and the discontent of the people.
“Nicholas was the source of all the problems. If there was a vacuum of power at the centre of the ruling system, then he was the empty space. In a sense, Russia gained in him the worst of both worlds: a Tsar determined to rule from the throne yet quite incapable of exercising power”.
-O. Figes
The class divide in Russia was already very prominent before WW1 began. The urban working class had to work long ours for low wages, and the rural areas still worked on a system of feudalism where slave-like serfs and peasants would work on the estates of nobility. The tsar, Nicholas II, was not very suited to autocratic rule. In 1905, a group of workers peacefully protesting in front of the czar were massacred. This sparked the Revolution of 1905. Czar Nicholas II responded with the October Manifesto, which gave the people the rights to freedom of speech, conscience, association, and assembly. A legislature named Duma was created to give advice to the czar; however, he retained the right to disband it if he wanted to.
"I am not yet ready to be Tsar. I know nothing of the business of ruling."
-Nicholas II
"I am not yet ready to be Tsar. I know nothing of the business of ruling."
-Nicholas II
In 1905, Russia lost the Russo-Japanese war and suffered massive damage to its fleet, as well as many casualties. When alliances dragged her into World War One, Russia was not ready to fight. Russia's army was lacking in properly trained, experienced soldiers. The war also wrecked Russia financially. The people were starving to death. Nicholas II took direct command of the army, but that only made him become associated with the unpopular war and be blamed for poor decisions that the generals had been blamed for in the past.
"What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution."
- Vyacheslav von Plehve, speaking of the Russo-Japanese War
"What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution."
- Vyacheslav von Plehve, speaking of the Russo-Japanese War
When Nicholas II decided to personally take charge of the war, his wife was left in charge of handling domestic affairs. Rasputin called himself a monk, and had come to Moscow from Siberia. He told Czarina Alexandra that he could cure her son's hemophilia. He had little actual medical training, and claimed to have mystical powers. He became closer to Alexandra and her son, and through them had an influence on the czar's decisions. Some nobles who were worried about his influence decided to murder him. He died in 1916.
"When the bell tolls three times, it will announce that I have been killed. If I am killed by common men, you and your children will rule Russia for centuries to come; if I am killed by one of your stock, you and your family will be killed by the Russian people! Pray, Tsar of Russia. Pray."
-rumored to have been said by Grigori Rasputin
"When the bell tolls three times, it will announce that I have been killed. If I am killed by common men, you and your children will rule Russia for centuries to come; if I am killed by one of your stock, you and your family will be killed by the Russian people! Pray, Tsar of Russia. Pray."
-rumored to have been said by Grigori Rasputin
In February of 1917, strikes and protests became loud and prevalent, and some troops fired on protestors while others mutinied and joined them. The Czar dismissed the Duma, but they refused to leave, and instead appointed a provisional government. The Military High Command was afraid of a violent revolution and encouraged the Czar to abdicate, which he did in March. However, the provisional government refused to withdraw from World War One. This allowed the Bolshevik Party to gain power in a bloodless coup. Lenin had the royal family executed. There was a civil war between the Bolshevik Reds and the anti-Bolshevik Whites, until finally the Reds won. Lenin became the Czar, and the Bolsheviks were renamed to be the Communist Party. Lenin died of a stroke in 1924.
"A Lie Told Often Enough Becomes the Truth"
- Vladimir Lenin
"A Lie Told Often Enough Becomes the Truth"
- Vladimir Lenin