On July 16, 1918, the Russian imperial family, the Romanovs, were executed in the basement of the Ipatiev House by the Bolshevik political party. While The Kitchen Boy, by Robert Alexander, follows the point of view of the family’s young kitchen boy during this event, along with a different possible ending to history, it also follows the boy through the poor treatment of the royal family long before they were killed. During their stay in the House of Special Purpose under control of the Bolsheviks, the Romanov family endured physical, psychological, and spiritual mistreatments. The Bolsheviks physically mistreated them in several ways; however, their excuse was that it was always for their own good and protection, even though the family knew otherwise. A perfect example of this is the ridiculous conditions they were told to live in. They cannot even open a single window even though it is stuffy and smells. “For two weeks the former Emperor has been asking- just a single window, just a little fresh air…” (Alexander 8). Not being allowed to have single window open in the middle of summer with sweaty and smelly armed guards makes living conditions very unbearable for the family. They cannot even open a window to relieve themselves in the slightest, even though no harm could have come to them. The Romanovs were not permitted any contact with the outside world at all. They have no idea about and were unaware of what was happening in their country, with their friends, or even the weather. “Weeks earlier, the Bolsheviki had painted the thermometer with lime as well…” (63). The Bolsheviks are so cruel and demanding that the family could not even know what the weather was directly outside of them. They have almost none of their original ... ... middle of paper ... ...ch was a huge part of the family’s lifestyle. The fact that the Tsar had been asking for it as well as it having been taken away demonstrate this. Yet another way that they were abused spiritually was that they, the Bolsheviks, were the ones giving the Romanovs hope when they ultimately also knew that there was none. It was bringing the family’s spirits up only for them to fall down harder in the end of it all. Not only did the Romanov family have to go through a terrible death sentence, but they were ridiculed and belittled at almost every possible chance along the way by the Bolsheviks. They were forced to live in awful conditions, to be tormented because of vicious gossip and rumors, and to find a way to keep their faith when they had no opportunity. The Russian Imperial family had to endure all of this and more, just because of their bad luck and poor judgment.
He was not popular with those who supported the Tsar because he made him look like a “weak autocrat unable to control his wife or hold onto his moral and political authority.” This weak, inept image of the Tsar created by Rasputin is supported by one of his ministers stating that “he did not like to send Rasputin away, for if Alexei died, in the eyes of the mother, he would have been the murderer of his own son.” This shows how great an impact Rasputin had over the Tsar and the
For centuries, autocratic and repressive tsarist regimes ruled the country and population under sever economic and social conditions; consequently, during the late 19th century and early 20th century, various movements were staging demonstrations to overthrow the oppressive government. Poor involvement in WWI also added to the rising discontent against Nicholas as Russian armies suffered terrible casualties and defeats because of a lack of food and equipment; in addition, the country was industrially backward compared to countries such as Britain, France, Germany, and the USA. It had failed to modernize, this was to do with the tsars lack of effort for reforms. The country was undergoing tremendous hardships as industrial and agricultural output dropped. Famine and poor morale could be found in all aspects of Russian life. Furthermore, the tsar committed a fatal mistake when he appointed himself supreme commander of the armed forces because he was responsible for the armies constant string of defeats.
Around the early 1920’s, Stalin took power and became leader of Russia. As a result Russians either became fond of Stalin’s policies or absolutely despised them. Stalin’s five-year plans lured many into focusing on the thriving economy rather than the fact that the five year plan hurt the military. The experience of many lives lost, forced labor camps, little supply of food, influenced the Russians negative opinion about Stalin. Having different classes in society, many Russians had different points of views. For the Peasants, times were rough mainly because of the famine, so they were not in favor of Stalin and his policies; where as the upper classes had a more optimistic view of everything that was occurring. Stalin’s policies affected the Russian people and the Soviet Union positively and also had a negative affect causing famine for the Russian people.
Both monarchs had a royal background and were put in power with high expectations to continue the stability that the country possessed. Citizens aspire for all government officials to keep the peoples best interest in mind. But sadly, due to Ivan’s brutal childhood, he grew up observing and learning from the mannerisms of the corrupt elite. Ivan predominately gained power through fear and with this tactic was the first to exercise a despotism in Russia. One example of this is the story of the peasants who disturbed Ivan during one of his retreats. They came to him to complain of their governor who they believed was unjust but Ivan was so upset that they had troubled him with such a petty matter that he punished them. The men had their hands tied behind their backs, boiling hot alcohol poured on their heads and then their beards lit on fire with a candle. Apprehension and terror were Ivan’s main tools for keeping his people under control. Despite his totalitarian state of mind, Ivan believed that his decisions were still best for the country and the only way to keep it safe was by leaving it in constant fear. Although not always the most rational, the czar still made the suitable choices to keep the kingdom together. Similar to Ivan, Charles was not always under the influence of his mental disability. During his 42
Before Sofia Petrovna truly experienced the moral and logical conflict in regards to the purges, she was a sympathizer of the party. She raised her son, Kolya, to lead a life that would make the party leaders proud. Sofia Petrovna stated in that her son was a “loyal Komsomol member,” and she felt “tenderness and fear” when she looked at him, but also pride (p. 19).
As a dictator Stalin was very strict about his policies, especially working. For instance. Stalin had set quotas very high , as they were very unrealistic. The workers had very long days, and under the rule of Stalin most people worked many hours in overtime, and resulting in no pay. Stalin treated workers very, very harshly. Those who did not work were exiled to Siberia or killed. Some may say you got what you deserved in Stalin’s time. Those who worked very hard for Stalin sometimes got bonuses such as trips, or goods likes televisions and refrigerators. The workers had to conform to Stalin’s policies . Stalin’s harsh treatment of workers received a very unwelcoming response, but in fact the liberal amount of goods that the workers had made, had in fact
In 1934, Sergey Kirov a rival to Stalin was murdered. Stalin is believed to have been behind the assassination, he used it as a pretext to arrest thousands of his other opponents who in his words might have been responsible for Kirov’s murder. These purges not only affected those who openly opposed Stalin but ordinary people too. During the rule of Stain o...
In mid-19th century Russia, an oppressive rule is a result of the Romanov monarchy and this in... ... middle of paper ... ... ition to being important in portraying Raskolnikov's changing personality. By making such dissimilarity between the two ways that the two characters affect Raskolnikov, we are able to see his downfall and subsequent rise much more clearly.
...Anyone who didn’t follow these commands were to be exiled to a prison in Siberia. Some of these political prisoners were even executed just for practicing their own religion or speaking their native language. This forced them too grow more and more biter towards the Tsar. A Bolshevik revolution where the proletariats would rule the nation was everything they were yearning for.
What the Bolsheviks did in reaction to the threat to their power, was they put the royal family under house arrest in the house of special purposes. They tried to make the life for the tsar’s family as miserable as possible. “For two weeks the former Emperor had been asking – just a single window, just a little fresh air, that was all the former tsar wanted for his family, but the Bolshevik denied.” (Pg. 8) Of course the Bolsheviks weren’t just content with keeping the Romanovs under house arrest they wanted them dead. “that gave the Bolshevik the excuse they had been seeking…” (Pg.128) The quote is referencing to when they find the note behind the toilet to give them an excuse to kill them. The Bolsheviks wanted so badly to kill them because there was the looming threat of the white army saving the tsar and restoring his power in the
The Romanov family story is one that ends in tragedy and mystery. The Romanov dynasty ruled Russia for over 300 years coming to an end with Nicholas II. The book The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & The Fall of Imperial Russia, written by Candace Fleming, tells the story of Tsar Nicholas II of how he came to become the Tsar and fell trying to protect his family. Fleming tells the story of young Nicholas coming to power when his father, Alexander III, died and how ill-prepared Nicholas was to rule due to his father’s inferior teaching skills. The story goes on to Nicholas meeting his future wife, Alexandra, and how they had four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia. With each daughter came a disappointment of not having an heir
Romanov, Olga Nikolaevna. The Diary of Olga Romanov: Royal Witness to the Russian Revolution: With Excerpts from Family Letters and Memoirs of the Period. Trans. Helen Azar. Yardley, Pennsylvania: Westholme, LLC, 2014. Print.
Russia culture is very different from any other culture that I have ever read about. This is a country that is dominated by males. Males actually run the county of Russia. The men are so dominated that every Russian women dream is to be married and have a family with these men. Russia is known for its poor society. In the book Sakharov he mentions how he moved from one place to another. He first was in Moscow’s larger apartments with his family. In this apartment there were six families. With thin the six families they had to share the kitchen and the bathroom. Then he states that he moved into a very old house and in this old house there was a leaking ceiling. With in this house there were still six families that shared everything. (Sakharov 24-25)
Prior to the 1905 Revolution the Tsar’s failure address the living and working conditions of the peasantry ultimately caused the build up of civil unrest all across Russia. Through the excerpt from George Gapon, “The Story of My Life”, 1906 “The workman sees the sad faces of his wife and hungry children in their squalid corner where they are packed like herrings” It is evident how Tsar Nicholas’ lack of interest in improving the quality of life for peasants shows the leadership he lacked as he had also kept out of the touch with the population of Russia and allowed further dissent amongst the populace. Additionally another example of the Tsars failure as a leader which caused the fall of the regime is the event known as “Bloody Sunday” which sparked the fires of the 1905 Revolution. Tsar Nicholas’ ineffective leadership was presented when the peaceful protest on the 22nd of January 1905 that came to raise a petition over the living and working conditions of peasants to the Tsar was fired upon by troops in front of the Winter Palace.
In the years leading up to the revolution, Russia had been involved in a series of wars. The Crimean war, The Russo-Turkish war, The Russo-Japanese war and the First World War. Russia had been defeated in all except the war with Turkey and its government and economy had the scars to prove it. A severe lack of food and poor living conditions amongst the peasant population led firstly to strikes and quickly escalated to violent riots. Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia with an iron hand while much of Europe was moving away from the monarchical system of rule. All lands were owned by the Tsar’s family and Nobel land lords while the factories and industrial complexes were owned by the capitalists’. There were no unions or labour laws and the justice system had made almost all other laws in favour of the ruling elite. Rents and taxes were often unaffordable, while the gulf between workers and the ruling elite grew ever wider.