This time, however, he was unable to dismiss the Duma. In Pskov, Nicholas received telegrams from his generals imploring him to abdicate for the sake of the war effort. From Pskov, the czar issued a manifesto announcing his abdication, citing the interests of the military.
For that reason We think it right — and the Imperial Duma shares our view — to abdicate the crown of the Russian state and resign the supreme power. The czar had another compelling reason to abdicate at the behest of the new Provisional government: the unrest in Saint Petersburg threatened the safety of his wife, Alexandra, and their five children who were living at the Alexander Palace, an Imperial residence just outside the city.
That same fateful March 13, the Chairman of the Duma advised the Imperial family to flee the palace as quickly as possible, but Alexandra refused because her children had the measles with complications that could worsen during travel.
The electricity and water stopped functioning at the palace amidst the unrest. Alexandra and her one healthy daughter, year-old Maria, visited the palace garrison in attempt to ensure they still had the support of the troops stationed there. Maria also came down with the measles, which developed into life-threatening, double-lung pneumonia, ensuring that the family had no intention of leaving their home. Rumors of an armed mob, determined to storm the palace, circulated among the household.
He was rumoured to be a Khlyst, member of an extreme underground sect that had split from the Orthodox Church. He was infamous for his drunkenness and for womanising.
However he also gained a reputation as a healer, able to perform amazing feats and miracles. Rasputin came to the attention of the royal family.
In April , Alexandra called on him to heal her only son, the Tsarevich Alexis. He was suffering from painful bleeding as a result of an injury. It was not publicly known but Alexis suffered from the blood disease haemophilia.
After Alexis recovered, Tsarina Alexandra became convinced that Rasputin could control the young boy's illness. While there is still debate over the nature of his powers over the health of Alexis, it is clear that his influence over the Tsarina was considerable. He advised her on appointments to the government, interfered in important decisions.
He could do no wrong in the eyes of the Tsarina. In his absence, the empress grew increasingly withdrawn and ever more dependent on Rasputin, who heavily influenced her political view on matters at home. Over the course of WWI, Russia endured major losses and was subject to extreme poverty and high inflation.
The Russian public blamed Nicholas II for his poor military decisions, and Empress Alexandra for her ill-advised role in government. Because Alexandra was originally from Germany, suspicion spread that she might have even deliberately sabotaged Russia, ensuring its defeat in the war.
Nicholas was still headquartered at Mogilev at the time. When he tried to get home to Petrograd, the Duma the elected legislature , which had by then turned on him, prevented him from boarding the train.
After the Duma elected their own provisional committee built of progressive bloc members, and the soldiers sent to quash the St. Petersburg riots mutinied, Nicholas II had no other choice but to step down from the monarchy. On March 15, , he abdicated the throne. He and his family were then taken to the Ural Mountains and placed under house arrest. In the spring of , Russia was engaged in a civil war. We strive for accuracy and fairness.
If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.
Charles II was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era. Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from to B.
Between and , the population of the capital of St Petersburg swelled from 1,, to 1,,, with Moscow experiencing similar growth. In one survey, it was found that an average of sixteen people shared each apartment in St Petersburg, with six people per room.
There was also no running water, and piles of human waste were a threat to the health of the workers. World War I then only added to the chaos. Conscription swept up the unwilling in all parts of Russia. The vast demand for factory production of war supplies and workers caused many more labor riots and strikes. Conscription stripped skilled workers from the cities, who had to be replaced with unskilled peasants, and then, when famine began to hit, workers abandoned the cities in droves to look for food.
Finally, the soldiers themselves, who suffered from a lack of equipment and protection from the elements were discontent with Russia's poor accounting in the war. Political Politically, most areas of Russian society had reason to be dissatisfied with the existing autocratic system. They had no representation in government, and the Tsar remained out of touch with the people's problems. Dissatisfaction with Russian autocracy culminated in the Bloody Sunday massacre, in which Russian workers saw their pleas for justice rejected as thousands of unarmed protestors were shot by the Tsar's troops.
The response to the massacre crippled the nation with strikes, and Nicholas released his October Manifesto, promising a democratic parliament the State Duma to appease the people. However, the Tsar effectively nullified his promises of Democracy with Article 87 of the Fundamental State Laws, and then subsequently dismissed the first two Dumas when they proved uncooperative.
These unfulfilled hopes of democracy fuelled revolutionary ideas and violence targeted at the Tsarist regime. It appears as though Tsar Nicholas II never really considered Russia a constitutional state and invariably held on to his strong inclination towards an Autocratic Russia.
Beside the economic and social problems plaguing the country, the Russian Empire was still recovering from a humiliating defeat at the Russo-Japanese War of One of Nicholas's reasons for going to war in was his desire to restore the prestige that Russia had lost during that war.
Nicholas also wanted to galvanize the diverse people in his empire under a single banner by directing military force at a common enemy, namely Germany and the Central Powers. He believed by doing so he could also distract the people from the ongoing issues of poverty, inequality, and poor working conditions that were sources of discontent.
Instead of restoring Russia's political and military standing, World War I would lead to horrifying military casualties on the Russian side and undermined it further. From the beginning the troops were not adequately supplied with weapons, or were led by incompetent generals and officers. Logistics were also a problem, since Russia's poorly maintained roads and railroads inhibited communication and distribution of supplies.
Almost everywhere Russian forces were matched against German forces who had a superior advantage in weaponry, military talent, and logistics.
0コメント