NICHOLAS II
by Jake and John
Czar Nicholas II was the last ruler of the Romanov family dynasty that had ruled the
great empire of Russia for over 300 hundred years. He became Czar of Russia at the age of
26 because of the untimely and unexpected death of his father. Not only was he not ready
to fill this position, but he was not skilled in the areas of working with the common
people and in government. Although Nicholas was a good leader in some areas, he lacked
experience and could be controlled too easily. He experienced trials in his personal and
public life as Czar of Russia.
Nicholas II, born on May 6, 1868, was Alexander III’s oldest
son. Early in life, Nicholas got a military education that attempted to prepare him for
his future reign as czar. Nicholas enjoyed the things that military life brought. He did
not, however, participate in many of the parades and other activities. He was not a man
that enjoyed the public life. He was more of a private man and was shy. People who knew
him often said he was a gentle man and easy to talk to. When he married Alexandra, she
took advantage of his timidness, and many people believe she had complete control of
Nicholas. While under her influence, he would do almost anything she asked. Nicholas and
Alexandra had five children: four daughters-- Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia-- and
one son, Alexi, who suffered from hemophilia. Nicholas thought that he, as czar, ruled
through divine right from God. Because he was stubborn and inflexible, some of his
countrymen were embarrassed at the way Nicholas ruled Russia, and this affected his home
life. He also thought that people who disagreed with him were traitors. Nicholas was then
asked to resign. With much reluctance, he abdicated. He and his family were taken captive
and imprisoned. Eventually, all of them were brutally murdered. Their bodies were burned
and then thrown into an empty shaft. Nicholas II’s private life was one that was
filled with turmoil and insecurity for Russia.
The people of Russia never really trusted Nicholas II. He lacked the decisiveness of
his father. He was a very friendly man, but as the ruler of one of the largest countries
in the world, he lacked the skills and tenacity to rule effectively. Nicholas dreamed of
Russia’s becoming the most powerful country in Europe, but he took very bad advice
from the Emperor William II of Germany and from military generals who sought fame and
glory when planning to invade Japan. He believed that Japan would not go to war and would
surrender without a fight. However, with the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, Nicholas
lost all hope of controlling China, Tibet, and Persia and of becoming a great power in
Europe. After entering this war, Nicholas experienced problems at home, where people were
beginning to lose faith in their Czar and were beginning a revolutionary movement. They
believed the war to be purposeless and were discontent and frustrated at Russia’s
international defeat. Although he believed himself to be autocratic, he had a continual
struggle within himself between his terrible indecisiveness and his country’s lack of
confidence in him.
After creating representative assemblies called Dumas on March 3, 1905, he promised a
constitutional regime in his Manifesto on October 30. This would give power to other
leaders and allow the common people to know the Czar’s powers were limited. In
creating these Dumas, he cared little for the promises he had made and tried to regain his
former powers. After the assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and the
beginning of World War I, Nicholas sympathized with the Slavic people and wanted to win
control over the Turkish lands. Czar Nicholas and his Russian people entered World War I
on July 30, 1914. However, World War I left his people barely confident in the skills of
the government. After great persuasion from Alexandra, Nicholas dismissed his
commander-in-chief and took command himself. Nicholas then left for his military
headquarters, leaving his government and throne in a very fragile state. The court was
filled with treachery and unworthy deeds. Rumors began to arise, and Nicholas’s power
slowly began to decrease. In St. Petersburg on March 8, 1917, when riots broke out, and
revolutionists overthrew the czar’s government and forced Czar Nicholas II to
abdicate his powers as the ruler of Russia. Nicholas II’s public life was filled with
uncertainty and lack of confidence in the way the country was run.
Even though Czar Nicholas’s public figure always seemed plagued with trouble, his
personal life may have been his savior. His struggles with other countries in war and his
problems with the people of Russia were transformed by his family. Even though all of the
decisions made by Czar Nicholas II were not great ones, he played a major role in the
public life of Russians and in the personal life of his family.
WORKS CONSULTED
Czap, Peter Jr. "Nicholas II." Encyclopedia Americana, 1982.
This article gave a good overview on the war efforts and governmental actions of
Nicholas II.
Massie, Robert K. Nicholas and Alexandra. New York: Dell Publishing Company,
1967.
Pages 27-40 gave useful information about Nicholas’ wife and his marriage.
*"Nicholas and Alexandra." Royal Russia. Feb. 17, 1998.
<http://www.angelfire.com/ pa/ImperialRussian/na.html>. (9 Feb 1998).
This source was used for visuals only.
"Nicholas II." Britannica On-line. n. d.
<http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/ 424/49.html>. (6 Feb. 1998).
This web site gives very useful information about Nicholas II. It gives a good
description of his life, his reign as czar, and his mysterious death.
"Nicholas II." The Czars. Comp. Alexei K. Levykin. 1995.
<http://www.sptimes.com/ Treasures/TC.2.3.19.html>.
This site gave limited information on the life and reign of Nicholas II.
Strakhovsky, Leonid I. "Nicholas II (1868-1918)." Colliers Encyclopedia.
Computer Software. Newfield Publications, 1996. CD ROM. (9 Feb 1998).
This source had some useful information about how Nicholas II ruled Russia but had
little information that was not repeated in other sources.
*source for visuals
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