Nicholas And Alexandra's Influence On Russia

Nicholas II and Alexandra were the last tsar and tsarina of the Russian Empire under Romanovs. Their upbringing shaped their religious and political beliefs that would eventually result in issues during their time of sovereignty. They ruled from 1849 to 1917, the latter years of which included WWI, the Russian Revolution, and the Russian civil war. Through these major events, Nicholas and Alexandra struggled to govern and protect their people while still striving to maintain their absolute power. Their family life, reign, and startling executions impacted Russian history.

Nicholas’ and Alexandra’s lives, before Nicholas’ inheritance of the Russian throne, determined the way they viewed an empire should be governed. It began in 1881, when Nicholas’

Alexandra, concerned with her son’s condition, sought help from monk and debauched “holy man,” Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin. Famous for hypnotic powers, he supposedly saved Alexei’s life. As a result, both Alexandra and Nicholas came to trust and depend on him, believing him to be a saint. Nicholas, a weak leader, was heavily influenced by his father. In his early years as emperor, Nicholas declared that he would sustain the autocratic monarchy his father bequeathed him. Like Alexander III, Nicholas was a racist, traditionalist, imperialist, and elitist. While Nicholas ruled, the Russian economy and industry grew at a rapid rate. The middle class were unhappy with these advancements, feeling as though the monarchy was out of touch with the needs of this new industrial society. Workers were discontented with their home and working conditions. Their requests for improvement and reform were ignored. Nicholas was preoccupied with imperializing Russia and taking territory. The Trans Siberian railroad began its construction in 1891. As it was being built, it grew nearer to the Pacific coast, causing Japan to feel progressively threatened. In 1904, Japan attacked Russia, beginning the Russo-Japanese War. Nicholas’ army surrendered at Port Arthur in December of that year. Months later his fleet was decimated in the Battle of Tsushima. In the summer of 1905, he settled peace negotiations with Japan. Earlier that year, on January 5, an historical day known as Bloody Sunday took place in St. Petersburg. Father George Gapon led a large but peaceful assembly, demonstrating the common worker’s life and workplace. The purpose of this demonstration was to ask Nicholas publicly to improve their working conditions. Nicholas, who viewed rebellion, revolts, and revolutionary ideas as the product of “dark forces,” resolved in sending Russian troops to shoot at all of the demonstrators. Thousands died. In response to