Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 1

Assess the factors that led to the fall of Tsar Nicholas II

Tsarism has been a system of government in Russia since 1547, a country dominated by self-

governance. For many years the Tsars had been powerful, rich, and possessed the virtues

necessary to be a great king, however in 1917 the Tsarist regime came to an end, with

Nicholas Romanov II as the new ruler of the country. Tsar Nicholas played a major role in

the fall of Tsarism; his incompetence and lack of leadership led to the collapse of Communist

Russia. Nicholas made a variety of flaws that caused the accident (Britannica, 2021). Many

components played a decisive role in the collapse of Tsar Nicholas II during the Romanov

dynasty. This essay will address the following topics. The political, social and economic

issues and the impact they had on the fall of Tsar Nicholas II, the role of the strikes,

revolutions and the okhrana attacks in Tsar Nicholas II’s downfall, the factors such as the

reforms and the autocratic government that led to Nicholas II and their responsibility in the

fall of Tsarist Russia, and finally, the contribution that Russia’s involvement in the first world

war had on the fall of Tsar Nicholas II.

Under Tsar Nicholas II's reign, the Russian empire has continually industrialized; repressing

political, social and economic problems, which eventually became responsible for the fall of

the Tsar. Nicholas II did not successfully govern; His poor choices led to deteriorating

government ties and increased difficulties for both civil and military citizens (BBC Bitesize,

2021). The political, social, and economic problems in Russia consisted of poor working

conditions, discrimination between social classes, high taxes, and no freedom of speech. It

rashly entered wars with Japan in 1904, Germany and Austria 1914 for which it was very

poorly trained, leading to the absolute fall of Russia’s political, social, and economical

grievances ("Rising Discontent in Russia | History of Western Civilization II", 2021) . Russia’s

profound socio economic crisis resulted from the tsarist regime’s failure to enact any

Sarah Milani
Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 2

substantial reforms and the economic divide between the ruling and upper class and the rest

of Russian society. Considering Russia was a wide nation, many opinions and a dynamic

political atmosphere arose, which led to disagreements within the political scope of Russia,

contributing to the fall of Tsar Nicholas II.

The Russian Revolution led to radicalising social moods in East Central Europe. In the years

1917-1918, the rising power of the working class reflected itself in major strikes and

demonstrations against the tsar and his ways. Tsar Nicholas II's reaction to the retaliation of

the workers, refused to meet the demands of his people, this and the lowering circumstances

of World War I both contributed to his downfall. This frustration provided revolutionary

movements with a foundation of aid that could theoretically be used to achieve reform. A

distinctive example of this, is the events of ‘Bloody Sunday’. On January 22, 1905, a group

of workers led by the radical priest marched to the tsar’s Winter Palace in St. Petersburg to

make their requests. Imperial soldiers opened fire on the demonstrators, killing and wounding

hundreds. This event triggered strikes and revolutions breaking out across the nation in

furious response to the massacre, to which Nicholas responded by promising the creation of a

series of parliamentary assemblies, or Dumas, to strive for reform ("Bloody Sunday Massacre in

Russia", 2021), building up internal tension amongst the nation and contributing to the

downfall of the tsar as people realised his poor quality of leadership and began to know him

as ‘Nicholas the Bloody’. In addition to the strikes and revolutions, the ‘Okhrana Attacks’

also played a significant role in the downfall of the tsar. Okhrana was the name assigned to

the Tsar’s secret police service that concerned resistance to the royal government (Le Cornu et

al., 2017). Using the authority given to them, they were to defend the russian autocracy by

entering, observing, and reporting on any organisations or people who tried to alter the

balance of power in the Russian Empire. By 1883, the party had established an empire-wide

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Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 3

policy that threatened radicals, socialists, labour parties, and nationalist factions demanding

freedom. Tsar Nicholas believed deeply that the autocratic regime was crucial to Russia's

prosperity and its growth as a country. His dependence on the Okhrana to react harshly to

anyone who dared question his authority displayed the impact of his governing methods and

the role they played in his downfall as tsar (Le Cornu et al., 2017).

During Nicholas’ sovereignty, he pursued a restrictive stance against those pursuing

constitutional change. Reforms he instituted included the formation of the ‘October

Manifesto’ which ushered the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. After ‘Bloody

Sunday’ there was a significant rise in social upheaval involving riots, farmer revolts and

troubling mutiny. Nicholas was forced to start granting vast agreements which he started by

establishing the Duma yet its authority was greatly limited and this did not satisfy. The Duma

was developed by Tsar Nicholas II in his October Manifesto, which pledged that it would be

a legislative body and that its approval would be essential for the implementation of

legislation ("Duma | Definition, Facts, & History", 2021). Ultimately, he was compelled to grant

the people a constitution in the shape of the ‘October Manifesto’. Nicholas called on Witte to

introduce these measures and on 17 October he signed what has been called the October

Manifesto. For the first time in Russian history, simple civil liberties were given to all

Russians and a Duma with legislative powers was established (Le Cornu et al., 2017).

Nevertheless, this did not please both sides but was enough to keep the middle-class and

upper-class satisfied for the moment whereas the working classes could not get enough

support to force a movement. The Dumas were, nonetheless, governed by liberal and socialist

opposition parties who sought comprehensive reforms. Nicholas then started to go back on

the promises of the October Manifesto and take advantage of the Duma so that it was simply

a, “docile and conservative body” (Dennett. Et. Al. core Features of Modern History) . The Tsar

then employed Peter Stolypin to repress revolutionary elements within society, particularly

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Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 4

among the working class. While this strategy was immediately successful, the discontent of

the workers grew. Eventually, all Dumas were hastily removed by the tsar as he wanted full

power ("Duma | Definition, Facts, & History", 2021). Therefore, it played a major part in the fall

of Tsarist Russia.

Nicholas was determined to preserve Russia as an autocratic nation and states, “I shall uphold

the principle of autocracy as firmly and as undeviatingly as did my late father” (Turning

Points. Darlington. Et. Al). His late father being Alexander III who also severely repressed the

people. Reasons for Nicholas having this attitude include, the influence of Pobedonostsev, a

conservative political philosopher, and the fact that his ancestor, the great reformer

Alexander II, was assassinated by the people. Autocratic refers to a constitutional structure

whereby the monarch has full political authority, not constrained by a formal constitution or

parliament (Le Cornu et al., 2017). Tsar Nicholas II became the next Tsar at the age of 26 after

his father died of kidney failure in 1894, however, he was poorly prepared for the position of

Tsar and understood very little about the realities of life in Russia. He relied on his advisors,

as he never went on to visit factories which seriously impaired his ability to make strong

political decisions, leading to his downfall. An example is the disaster of the Russo-Japanese

War in 1904-5, initiating the rise of the revolution and downfall of the Romanov dynasty; the

outcomes of the war raised debatable questions about the trustworthiness of the autocracy and

whether it should sustained as a world power in Russia as well as the leadership of the tsar.

Another significant factor that led to the downfall of tsar Nicholas was the mysterious

encounter with Rasputin. Rasputin gained a reputation as a holy man with the power to heal

the ill and estimate the future (Le Cornu et al., 2017). Alexandra was left in control but she was

heavily influenced by Rasputin who seemed to her to be a Holy Man who could heal her son.

His ignorance and deplorable actions lead to a total loss of confidence in the current

autocracy. Even the government and nobles who had been largely loyal to the autocracy up to

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Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 5

this point, saw that there was a drastic need for reform. Even after Rasputin’s death,

confidence could not be restored. Russia was in uproar.

When WWI began, Russia gathered behind the Tsar and the people were supposedly able to

unite. However, as Russia started to suffer defeat after defeat the people became

disillusioned. The war put a huge pressure on the economy and infrastructure and the average

man on the street suffered due to this. Many men were withdrawn from the farm to be

soldiers and grain yield plummeted by 20 percent in 1916 (Darlington. Et. Al. Turning Points).

Nicholas went to the front to take command of the war and lift morale but this only served to

make him directly responsible for the losses suffered by the army, leaving a void back home.

The decisive moment in the collapse of Nicholas II and the Romanov Family was the way

the army turned against it during the marches and riots of March 1917. This uprising by the

army ultimately led to the fall of the autocracy. Without the aid of the army they could

influence no one and as such Nicholas realised that he must now abdicate. When the offer

was made to his brother Michael, he refused, and so ended the Romanov Dynasty.

In conclusion, many factors throughout the romanov dynasty led to the fall of Tsar Nicholas

II. Overall, the progression of Russia in the early 20th century was in an evolving state

whereas its then leader, Nicholas, was insistent on the country staying under the autocratic

method of government. The disagreement between Nicholas and the people of Russia is what

ultimately led to the downfall of autocratic Russia and Nicholas through strikes, revolutions

and attacks. Factors such as the political, social, and economic issues as well as the reforms

and the country’s involvement in the first world war further led to the demise of the Romanov

dynasty.

Sarah Milani
Running Head: ASSESSMENT 2 MODERN HISTORY 6

References
Bloody Sunday Massacre in Russia. HISTORY. (2021). Retrieved 26 February 2021,
from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bloody-sunday-massacre-in-
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%20killing%20and%20wounding%20hundreds.

Duma | Definition, Facts, & History. Encyclopedia Britannica. (2021). Retrieved 26

February 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Duma-Russian-assembly.

Le Cornu, D., Bradbury, C., & Carroll, K. (2017). Modern history history transformed
year 11 pack (Textbook and interactive textbook) (p. 89). Cambridge University
Press.

Le Cornu, D., Bradbury, C., & Carroll, K. (2017). Modern history history transformed
year 11 pack (Textbook and interactive textbook) (p. 85). Cambridge University
Press.

Political problems - Reasons for the February Revolution, 1917 - Higher History
Revision - BBC Bitesize. BBC Bitesize. (2021). Retrieved 26 February 2021, from
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Rising Discontent in Russia | History of Western Civilization II.

Courses.lumenlearning.com. (2021). Retrieved 26 February 2021, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-hccc-worldhistory2/chapter/rising-
discontent-in-russia/.

Romanov dynasty | Definition, History, Significance, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica.

(2021). Retrieved 26 February 2021, from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Romanov-dynasty.

Sarah Milani