To what extent were the actions of Tsar Nicholas II during the First World War responsible for his own downfall in February 1917?

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Gráinne Baker

To what extent were the actions of Tsar Nicholas II during the First World War responsible for his own downfall in February 1917?

In this essay I will discuss the impact of Nicholas’ actions on his fate and assess their importance in relation to other factors which led to the fall of the Romanov dynasty. I will argue that whilst the actions of Nicholas himself indeed played a part in his downfall, the major reason for his downfall the was WWI and its effects on the Russian people.

         The actions of Nicholas were important in causing his downfall. His major mistake was the decision to leave Petrograd in August 1915 and go to the front at Mogilev in order to become Commander-in-chief of the Imperial army. This was a mistake as the Tsar was now personally blamed for the defeats the army suffered instead of his ministers, such as the failure of the Brusilov Offensive, which resulted in one million Russian soldiers being killed. This mistake was compounded by the fact that he left the Tsarina Alexandra in charge of the government. She was unpopular because of her German nationality and was influenced by Rasputin, who had a terrible reputation. This, and her terrible political judgement, tarnished the Tsar’s reputation and weakened his popularity. She sacked able ministers and replaced them with her and Rasputin’s friends – 35 were sacked between 1915 and 1916. Often the ministers she replaced them with were incompetent and were unable to deal with any of the problems the cities were facing, such as the shortages of food and fuel. Her reputation was tarnished by her close friendship with the starets or holy man, Rasputin, whom she believed could cure her son Alexei’s haemophilia. He had a bad reputation as a drunkard and womanizer, leading to rumours that he and Alexandra were having an affair. Alexandra was totally out of touch with the problems ordinary people were facing in the capital. This, together with the fact Alexandra was German, made her extremely unpopular. However, whilst this also made the Tsar unpopular and undoubtedly contributed to his downfall, it was not the main cause of his downfall; the war had a much greater effect.

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        His second major mistake was his decision to reject the offer made by the Progressive Bloc (mainly made up of Kadet and Octobrist Duma deputies) to form a “national government” which would have national support and be a “Government of Public Confidence.” They would have helped to coordinate supplies and organize the war effort. However the Tsar, partly influenced by Alexandra, who called their leader “that fat pig Rodzianko”, rejected their offer in the hope of helping to maintain autocracy.

        However, while the Tsar’s own actions undoubtedly contributed to his own downfall, the advent of World War One was a ...

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