How far was Nicholas II the author of his own misfortunes in 1917?

In 1917, the reign of Tsar Nicholas II and the entire Romanov dynasty came to an end with the February Revolution. It can be argued that Nicholas himself was responsible for this, as he did little to prevent revolution or to save the monarchy. Although Nicholas was the main reason, there were other factors which contributed to his downfall, such as the First World War.

        The First World War can be said to have caused the downfall of the Tsar, as its impact on the country left the population disgruntled and possibly more prone to revolution. Inflation became a problem, as government spending increased to fund the war effort. The Government decided to leave the Gold Standard and print more money, which made it almost worthless. The poor state of the economy meant that it was very difficult to produce or trade food and the peasants began to hoard grain, as it could not be transported elsewhere. The war caused severe disruption to Russia’s transport system, particularly the railway system, which had collapsed by 1916. Food couldn’t be supplied to cities, particularly Petrograd, where the food shortages were worst. The fact that the February Revolution took place in Petrograd, where conditions were the worst suggests that the Revolution which caused the Tsar’s downfall was a consequence of the war rather than being caused by the Tsar himself. Also, trade unions and revolutionary groups were most prominent in large cities such as Petrograd, which could be another reason for the Revolution, particularly as the proletariat would have been disgruntled due to the economic situation and food shortage.

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        Although the war did seem to contribute to the Tsar’s misfortunes in 1917, the main problems that occurred during the war were largely caused by the Tsar himself. He handled the problems caused by the war ineffectively, and made a number of bad decisions. Russia seemed to be failing in the war, which in itself could have caused tension on the home front, but it was seen as the Tsar’s fault, as he had appointed himself head of the army in 1915. He had done this in an attempt to rally the nation around him, and so he could take ...

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