Tsar Nicholas II

Who was Tsar Nicholas II?

Tsar Nicholas II was the last of Russia. He was part of the Romanov royal family that had ruled the nation since 1613.

When did Tsar Nicholas II rule Russia?

Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia from 1894 to 1917.

How did Tsar Nicholas II rule Russia?

Nicholas II was an who had absolute power to do what he wanted.

Who helped Tsar Nicholas II to rule Russia?

Nicholas II relied on the following 4 institutions or organisations to rule Russia:

❖ The aristocracy.
❖ The Okhrana (secret police).
❖ The army.
❖ The Russian Orthodox Church.

What was Tsar Nicholas II like?

Nicholas II's rule of Russia was problematic for 5 main reasons:

❖ He had not been prepared for what the role would entail.
❖ He was a poor decision-maker and often procrastinated when faced with difficult decisions.
❖ His own lack of ability meant he was often jealous of his ministers. This created distrust and tension.
❖ He was very conservative by nature and determined to uphold his autocratic rule at all costs.
❖ His marriage to Alexandra Feodorovna, a German princess, led to problems as she became unpopular during the First World War. She made grave errors of judgement as the regent of Russia, a role she held while Nicholas commanded troops at the front.

What problems did Tsar Nicholas II face as the leader of Russia?

There were 5 main problems that Nicholas II faced as the ruler of Russia:

❖ Ensuring Russia was ruled effectively and efficiently.
❖ Modernising agriculture to become more productive, ensuring there were food surpluses to sell abroad. This gained money that was invested in the economy.
❖ Modernising Russian industry so that it could compete with Britain, Germany and the USA, and remain a great power.
❖ Reducing social and political unrest as different groups demanded reform.
❖ Ensuring Russian security in Europe and Asia as the international situation deteriorated, particularly with Japan, Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

What was Tsar Nicholas II's policy of Russification?

was a policy implemented by the to force non-Russian minorities to partake in Russian and language. Due to this policy, against non-Russians became more open. This led to an increase in minority-based opposition to the tsars.

How did Tsar Nicholas II deal with opposition to his rule?

Tsar Nicholas II dealt with opposition to his rule in 5 key ways:

❖ He used the Okhrana, or secret police, to keep watch on suspected revolutionaries. Undercover agents would spy on groups.
❖ Revolutionaries and terrorists were prosecuted in court and either executed or exiled. Many executions were public to create fear.
❖ Government censorship of books and newspapers stopped the spread of any radical ideas that could undermine the tsarist government.
❖ When there were uprisings, such as Bloody Sunday in 1905, he used the army to crush the protesters.
❖ He brought in some reforms in an attempt to make some concessions to discontented groups, such as the reforms in his October Manifesto in 1905.

Why was Tsar Nicholas II important?

There were 6 key events during Nicholas II's :

❖ His government was not viewed favourably because it failed to improve the lives of ordinary citizens and failed to reform.
❖ Russia was humiliated when it was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-05.
❖ Russia did very badly during the First World War and its people suffered as a result.
❖ There were several revolutions against his rule; one in 1905 and one in February 1917.
❖ He was forced to abdicate in March 1917.
❖ He was eventually executed by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War.

How successful was Tsar Nicholas II in ruling Russia?

Tsar Nicholas II's government had 4 main successes:

❖ He managed to stay in power after the 1905 Revolution (until the February 1917 Revolution) and maintain a predominantly autocratic government.
❖ Some political reforms were brought in after the 1905 Revolution including the creation of the State Duma (a parliament), voting rights and legalisation of political parties.
❖ Some economic reforms were introduced by Pyotr Stolypin to improve the working conditions of industrial workers.
❖ There was some economic development in terms of greater industrialisation. For example, there was a 50% increase in iron and steel production before the First World War.

How did Tsar Nicholas II fail?

Tsar Nicholas II's government failed in 5 key ways:

❖ He was a poor military leader and failed to defend Russia from her enemies. Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War and was doing incredibly badly in the First World War when he was forced to abdicate.
❖ He failed to bring in real political reforms to make Russia more democratic and this failure created even more political opposition.
❖ He failed to improve agriculture so there wasn't enough food for the growing population.
❖ He was a poor political leader, weak at ruling the country, who made poor decisions.
❖ Living and working conditions for workers and peasants did not improve; their wages stayed low while the cost of living rose.