To what extend was Nicholas II prepared to become tsar in 1894?

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To what extend was Nicholas II prepared to become tsar in 1894?

                        By Diederik ten Brink, IS11

Nicholas Romanov came to power of the Russian throne in 1894. At this point, the dynasty was under threat. The Russian Empire was under threat by social unrest and was facing the threat of a revolution. Nicholas Romanov had major problems to deal with, which he could still solve if he was well prepared. In this essay it will be discussed to what extend Nicholas Romanov was prepare to become tsar and how he dealt with the important position.

Of character, Nicholas was considered to be very shy and childish. Part of this was caused by Nicholas’ appearance, because he was quite slender. (Gurko, V. I.) His father, Alexander III called him ‘girlie’ and thought of him as a weakling (Figes, Orlando). Nicholas’ appearance caused his family to call him ‘Little Nicky, which resulted in a lack of self-confidence. Even though Nicholas was quite smart, his father thought that he was stupid because of his shyness and low self esteem.

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“When Count Witte, his Minister of Finance, suggested that the time had come to instruct the heir to the throne in the affairs of the state, Alexander seemed surprised. ‘Tell me,’ he asked the Minister, ‘have you ever spoken to his Imperial Highness, the Grand Duke Tsarevich?’ Witte admitted he had. ‘Then don’t tell me you never noticed that the Grand Duke is a dunce!’“ (Figes, Orlando 17)

Nicholas saw himself as a weakling, and because the Romanov family looked down on Nicholas II as if a little boy and, his self esteem was very low. Nicholas did ...

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