Looking at family and personality: GREAT MAN THEORY- may have validity because of autocracy. - Last Tsar, after three centuries - Took throne in 1895 - Family went into exile in Ural Mountains - Bolsheviks wanted to make a statement, killed royal family - Son Alexis was sick with hemophilia- covered up because he was only male heir - Married cousin Alexandra, a German princess, but Russia was at war with Germany - Dismissed democratic ideas in coronation speech in 1895 - Ruled with support of army - Small group of nobility and peasants wanted to end Tsardom
Aside from the personal characteristics of the Tsar, what were the causes of the Russian revolutions? - Organization of group with Marxist ideologies wanted elimination of class differences- growth of opposition movements. - If the fall of Tsardom had nothing to do with Nic II, it could be argued that it was inevitable, meaning no one or nothing could have prevented it. Can be supported by: peasants, Russia was about to lose WWI to Germany so new leadership was needed- MUST RECOGNIZE THAT OTHER FACTORS CAUSE EVENTS - How do we break down these factors? Short term and long term causes, social political economic, domestic and foreign= good thesis statement.
Rasputin: killed by royalty because he was an embarrassment when he ran the country. Went to front line to fight the Germans- people lost faith in him and orthodoxy because he was believed to be God’s person on earth.
by: Greta Hiestand
Nicolas II and his family facing the terror of Communist power:
After Nicolas II abdicated in 15 March 1917 along with his family (wife Alexandra, four daughters and a son) he has been sent to the town of Ekaterinburg in spring of 1918. At that moment family had to start living normal live in hard conditions under supervision of Bolsheviks who were there to not let them look for exile in countries such as Great Britain.
Family was provided a house of a local merchant N. N. Ipatiev. In the middle of July Czech White Army was approaching Ekaterinburg and so the sounds of a shotgun have been heard by the royal prisoners and Bolsheviks. It seemed like liberation and a chance for escape were close but unfortunately at 17th July the royal family has been taken to the basement and executed by Bolsheviks who were nervous about the turnout of the fight.
Pavel Medvedev was one of the Bolsheviks who where there making decisions about the royal family. As he later described:
"In the evening of 16 July, between seven and eight p.m., when the time of my duty had just begun; Commandant Yurovsky, [the head of the execution squad]ordered me to take all the Nagan revolvers from the guards and to bring them to him. I took twelve revolvers from the sentries as well as from some other of the guards and brought them to the commandant's office.
Yurovsky said to me, 'We must shoot them all tonight; so notify the guards not to be alarmed if they hear shots.' I understood, therefore, that Yurovsky had it in his mind to shoot the whole of the Tsar's family, as well as the doctor and the servants who lived with them, but I did not ask him where or by whom the decision had been made...At about ten o'clock in the evening in accordance with Yurovsky's order I informed the guards not to be alarmed if they should hear firing.
About midnight Yurovsky woke up the Tsar's family. I do not know if he told them the reason they had been awakened and where they were to be taken, but I positively affirm that it was Yurovsky who entered the room occupied by the Tsar's family. In about an hour the whole of the family, the doctor, the maid and the waiters got up, washed and dressed themselves.
Just before Yurovsky went to awaken the family, two members of the Extraordinary Commission [of the Ekaterinburg Soviet] arrived at Ipatiev's house. Shortly after one o'clock a.m., the Tsar, the Tsaritsa, their four daughters, the maid, the doctor, the cook and the waiters left their rooms. The Tsar carried the heir in his arms. The Emperor and the heir were dressed in gimnasterkas [soldiers' shirts]and wore caps. The Empress, her daughters and the others followed him. Yurovsky, his assistant and the two above-mentioned members of the Extraordinary Commission accompanied them. I was also present.
During my presence none of the Tsar's family asked any questions. They did not weep or cry. Having descended the stairs to the
The Ipatiev house
first floor, we went out into the court, and from there to the second door (counting from the gate) we entered the ground floor of the house. When the room (which adjoins the store room with a sealed door) was reached, Yurovsky ordered chairs to be brought, and his assistant brought three chairs. One chair was given to the Emperor, one to the Empress, and the third to the heir.
The Empress sat by the wall by the window, near the black pillar of the arch. Behind her stood three of her daughters (I knew their faces very well, because I had seen them every day when they walked in the garden, but I didn't know their names). The heir and the Emperor sat side by side almost in the middle of the room. Doctor Botkin stood behind the heir. The maid, a very tall woman, stood at the left of the door leading to the store room; by her side stood one of the Tsar's daughters (the fourth). Two servants stood against the wall on the left from the entrance of the room.
The maid carried a pillow. The Tsar's daughters also brought small pillows with them. One pillow was put on the Empress's chair; another on the heir's chair. It seemed as if all of them guessed their fate, but not one of them uttered a single sound. At this moment eleven men entered the room: Yurovsky, his assistant, two members of the Extraordinary Commission, and seven Letts [operatives of the infamous Cheka or Secret Police]..
Yurovsky ordered me to leave, saying, 'Go on to the street, see if there is anybody there, and wait to see whether the shots have been heard.' I went out to the court, which was enclosed by a fence, but before I got to the street I heard the firing. I returned to the house immediately (only two or three minutes having elapsed) and upon entering the room where the execution had taken place, I saw that all the members of the Tsar's family were lying on the floor with many wounds in their bodies. The blood was running in streams. The doctor, the maid and two waiters had also been shot. When I entered the heir was still alive and moaned a little. Yurovsky went up and fired two or three more times at him. Then the heir was still."
Nicolas II
Looking at family and personality: GREAT MAN THEORY- may have validity because of autocracy.- Last Tsar, after three centuries
- Took throne in 1895
- Family went into exile in Ural Mountains
- Bolsheviks wanted to make a statement, killed royal family
- Son Alexis was sick with hemophilia- covered up because he was only male heir
- Married cousin Alexandra, a German princess, but Russia was at war with Germany
- Dismissed democratic ideas in coronation speech in 1895
- Ruled with support of army
- Small group of nobility and peasants wanted to end Tsardom
Aside from the personal characteristics of the Tsar, what were the causes of the Russian revolutions?
- Organization of group with Marxist ideologies wanted elimination of class differences- growth of opposition movements.
- If the fall of Tsardom had nothing to do with Nic II, it could be argued that it was inevitable, meaning no one or nothing could have prevented it. Can be supported by: peasants, Russia was about to lose WWI to Germany so new leadership was needed- MUST RECOGNIZE THAT OTHER FACTORS CAUSE EVENTS
- How do we break down these factors? Short term and long term causes, social political economic, domestic and foreign= good thesis statement.
Rasputin: killed by royalty because he was an embarrassment when he ran the country. Went to front line to fight the Germans- people lost faith in him and orthodoxy because he was believed to be God’s person on earth.
by: Greta Hiestand
Nicolas II and his family facing the terror of Communist power:
After Nicolas II abdicated in 15 March 1917 along with his family (wife Alexandra, four daughters and a son) he has been sent to the town of Ekaterinburg in spring of 1918. At that moment family had to start living normal live in hard conditions under supervision of Bolsheviks who were there to not let them look for exile in countries such as Great Britain.Family was provided a house of a local merchant N. N. Ipatiev. In the middle of July Czech White Army was approaching Ekaterinburg and so the sounds of a shotgun have been heard by the royal prisoners and Bolsheviks. It seemed like liberation and a chance for escape were close but unfortunately at 17th July the royal family has been taken to the basement and executed by Bolsheviks who were nervous about the turnout of the fight.
Pavel Medvedev was one of the Bolsheviks who where there making decisions about the royal family. As he later described:
"In the evening of 16 July, between seven and eight p.m., when the time of my duty had just begun; Commandant Yurovsky, [the head of the execution squad]ordered me to take all the Nagan revolvers from the guards and to bring them to him. I took twelve revolvers from the sentries as well as from some other of the guards and brought them to the commandant's office.Yurovsky said to me, 'We must shoot them all tonight; so notify the guards not to be alarmed if they hear shots.' I understood, therefore, that Yurovsky had it in his mind to shoot the whole of the Tsar's family, as well as the doctor and the servants who lived with them, but I did not ask him where or by whom the decision had been made...At about ten o'clock in the evening in accordance with Yurovsky's order I informed the guards not to be alarmed if they should hear firing.
About midnight Yurovsky woke up the Tsar's family. I do not know if he told them the reason they had been awakened and where they were to be taken, but I positively affirm that it was Yurovsky who entered the room occupied by the Tsar's family. In about an hour the whole of the family, the doctor, the maid and the waiters got up, washed and dressed themselves.
Just before Yurovsky went to awaken the family, two members of the Extraordinary Commission [of the Ekaterinburg Soviet] arrived at Ipatiev's house. Shortly after one o'clock a.m., the Tsar, the Tsaritsa, their four daughters, the maid, the doctor, the cook and the waiters left their rooms. The Tsar carried the heir in his arms. The Emperor and the heir were dressed in gimnasterkas [soldiers' shirts]and wore caps. The Empress, her daughters and the others followed him. Yurovsky, his assistant and the two above-mentioned members of the Extraordinary Commission accompanied them. I was also present.
During my presence none of the Tsar's family asked any questions. They did not weep or cry. Having descended the stairs to the
The Empress sat by the wall by the window, near the black pillar of the arch. Behind her stood three of her daughters (I knew their faces very well, because I had seen them every day when they walked in the garden, but I didn't know their names). The heir and the Emperor sat side by side almost in the middle of the room. Doctor Botkin stood behind the heir. The maid, a very tall woman, stood at the left of the door leading to the store room; by her side stood one of the Tsar's daughters (the fourth). Two servants stood against the wall on the left from the entrance of the room.The maid carried a pillow. The Tsar's daughters also brought small pillows with them. One pillow was put on the Empress's chair; another on the heir's chair. It seemed as if all of them guessed their fate, but not one of them uttered a single sound. At this moment eleven men entered the room: Yurovsky, his assistant, two members of the Extraordinary Commission, and seven Letts [operatives of the infamous Cheka or Secret Police]..
Yurovsky ordered me to leave, saying, 'Go on to the street, see if there is anybody there, and wait to see whether the shots have been heard.' I went out to the court, which was enclosed by a fence, but before I got to the street I heard the firing. I returned to the house immediately (only two or three minutes having elapsed) and upon entering the room where the execution had taken place, I saw that all the members of the Tsar's family were lying on the floor with many wounds in their bodies. The blood was running in streams. The doctor, the maid and two waiters had also been shot. When I entered the heir was still alive and moaned a little. Yurovsky went up and fired two or three more times at him. Then the heir was still."
Memoirs of Pavel Medvedev taken from the site:Eye witness history
There's also some interesting recent information about remainings of Tsarevich Alexei found with his sister's remainings:
Bodies of the royal family found
by Klaudia Czerwińska