The Romanov Rule in Russia

The Romanov Rule in Russia The Romanovs had ruled Russia since 1613. When the last tsar of all,

Nicholas II, was appointed to the throne in 1894, there was no hint of

the fate that awaited him. Many among the huge crowds that lined the

streets for his coronation celebration saw him as their "little

father." They believed God had supposedly appointed Nicholas to rule

an empire covering about one-sixth of the earth's land area.

In 1894, Russia was at peace. Foreign investors promoted its

industrialization. Russia was ranked among the world's greatest powers

under the autocracy of the Romanovs.

Although well intentioned, Nicholas was a weak ruler, out of touch

with his people, easily dominated by others and a firm believer in the

autocratic principles taught him by his father. He ruled Russia as an

autocrat. Propaganda and the teachings of the Russian Orthodox Church

encouraged his people to love and respect their tsar and look on him

as a father who had the right to rule them.

Nicholas II ruled a police state, called the okhrana, which responded

brutally to anyone who dared question his authority. He had absolute

power. He declared the law and could overrule any existing law.

Political parties were illegal until 1905. There was no parliament

until 1906 and even then, Russia was...

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... them instead. Demands for changes in the government finally resulted

in the abdication of Nicholas II and his son on March 15. Over three

centuries of Romanov rule were at an end.

In the summer of 1918, the Russian royal family was imprisoned in

Ektaerinburg in the Ural Mountains. On July 1918, soldiers ordered the

family down to the cellar to face a firing squad.

In conclusion, even though Nicholas's objectives were different, but

his position was greatly affected by lack of care for the people,

growth of political and social parties, growth of industrializations,

involvement in World War I, increased hardships and poverty and his

self obsession, as at times his reforms didn't seem to work. His loss

of power could have been ignored if he responded at the right time to

the problems that his peoples were facing.