Account for the Collapse of the Romanov Dynasty

Account for the collapse of the Romanov Dynasty

The Romanov dynasty was the second dynasty to rule Russia and 300 years later a combination of several factors led to the demise of this Dynasty. Absence of leadership and military skills in Tsar Nicholas proved to be detrimental for his dynasty and family as it inflamed the abdication of the Romanovs. The Tsars autocratic rule and the lack of power people in Russia had as a consequence of Russia’s stern feudal system, was also an agitator that led to the eventual fall of the Romanov Dynasty. The swelling discontent of the working class of Russia, along with Tsar Nicholas II’s failure to effectively respond to issues faced by the proletariats was one of the central reasons for the collapse of the Romanov Dynasty. Another major reason for the decline of the Romanovs was the substantial influence the infamous monk Rasputin had on the Royal family especially the Tsarina.

In 1894, Tsar Alexandra III died suddenly of kidney failure hence it was up to his son Nicholas Romanov to be Tsar. However, Nicholas II was not equipped to become Tsar as he had no leadership skills or knowledge on how to lead Russia. This is exemplified in the quote by Nicholas II where he himself admits the fact that he is not ready to become Tsar, “I am not prepared to be Tsar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing of the business of ruling.” When Nicholas II became Tsar, he decided to follow his father’s steps and become an autocratic ruler. This meant that Tsar Nicholas had unquestionable authority over his people, he basically ruled a police state. The Tsars’ closed mind set was a predominant reason why Russia didn’t believe in industrialisation hence was behind and less advance than other countries. Nicholas’ lack of skill and confidence as well as his stubbornness of having absolute power caused the eventually demise of the Romanov Dynasty as his people became frustrated of his amateur leadership.

Moreover, Russia had a stern feudal system which included (top to bottom) Tsar and Tsarina, key government ministers, Russian Orthodox clergymen, the Russian Army and Secret Police, the Bourgeoise and the workers/proletariat. This feudal system is well depicted in ‘the socialist cartoon’ created by exiled opponents of Tsarism and was published by the Union of Russian Socialists, the focal objective of the cartoon was to symbolically portray the social classes that existed in imperial Russia and ridicule the modus operandi of Russia’s social hierarchy. The cartoon and other sources clearly indicate peasants and proletarians were clearly being exploited, as they did all the work and every other class had superior rights and freedoms. The lower classes were infuriated by the fact that they did not have representatives in government as there was no national parliament or elected body and this discontent led to the people opposing the Tsar hence it caused the decline and fall of the Romanov Dynasty.