Historical Study: The Final Years of the Romanov Dynasty

So after a week of playing AC: Russia (one of the hardest AC games I've played yet) I am once again inspired by the Russian Revolution. This historical event in 1917 marked the downfall of the Romanov Dynasty under Czar Nicholas II and the establishment of Communist Russia under the Bolsheviks leaders Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky. I was first inspired by this topic after watching two of my all time favorite films Reds and Doctor Zhivago. I suppose in those days I was far more left leaning and perhaps a bit more sympathetic towards the Communist cause. However after playing AC Russia I am beginning to see the event in a broader light pertaining to the injustice committed by both the Czarists and the Bolsheviks . 

What makes a historical revolution so interesting is that there are many aspects and defining figures to it. I suppose the perspective often depends on where your political allegiance lies, conservative or progressive. I for one have always favored the progression of humanity and often consider revolutions as a romantic liberation by the people from an unjust tyrant. Consider the American Revolution or the French Revolution, two major historical events by which the people overthrew their monarchies. This didn't pan out so well for the French, however the Americans were able to establish the defining model of democracy from this change in government. 

So naturally, as a man of the people, I originally favored the Bolsheviks when I first read about the Russian Revolution of 1917. I considered the ideals of this movement to be purely righteous, where the working class was uniting to overthrow an unfair and ineffective monarchy. And the movement was certainty within reason to call for change after falling behind to Japan by 1905. By this point Imperial Russia was quickly losing traction in the modern industrial world, and just as was happening in China, modernization and revolution was eminent. 

The revolutionary fervor really began to heat up after losing the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. This lead to the Russian Revolution of 1905 and the infamous massacre of Bloody Sunday on January 22nd. The massacre of over 200 demonstrators calling for a constitutional government became the turning point for the Czar's approval. This anti-monarchy fervor reached an even greater temperature at the onset of WWI in 1914. By this point Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin had their communist revolution well under way and it did not take much for the imperial dominoes to fall. The monarchy was eventually toppled in the February Revolution of 1917 by an interim government that was quickly replaced by the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution of 1917. From this point on Russia became known as the Soviet Union, and after WWII they had become a superpower next to America until the 1990s. 

However in this post I want to divert away from the Communist Revolution that I have written about various times (see Russian Revolution, Russian Culture). Instead I want to look at the event from the opposite perspective; the imperial family of the Romanovs. I don't by any means think the abdication was unjust, rather a necessary event in accordance with the rest of the world's transition from monarchy to constitutional governments. However just as I wrote about the fall of the Bourbon Dynasty (Finals Years of Marie Antoinette), I want to highlight some of the cruel injustice enforced in this event, particularly the unnecessary execution of the Romanov children. There are some very interesting aspects to the fall of the Romanov Dynasty considering key characters such as Nicholas II, Alexandra, Rasputin, and Anastasia. 

Brief History of the Romanov Dynasty

When I think of Imperial Russia there are really three monarchs for me that stand out above the rest. First there was Peter the Great who transformed the Tsardom of Russia into Imperial Russia in 1721. It was he, who brought Russia to the forefront of European power, by modernizing the cities and it's military. Thru the ideals of the western enlightenment he established a better system of government and infrastructure. His victory at the Great Northern War over the Scandinavian regions, established Imperial Russia as a new power in Europe.

The next great monarch I associate with Imperial Russia is Catherine the Great, who ruled over Russia for 30 years from 1762 to 1796. She demonstrated female authority by defeating the Ottoman Empire and furthering Russia's imperial territory throughout Europe and Asia. However by the 1850s during the Industrial Age, Imperial Russia began to fall behind the western powers of England, France, and the rising Germany. This decline was made most apparent at their defeat in the Crimean War in 1856 which marked a turning point for Imperial Russia.

In 1894 Czar Nicholas II ascended to the throne and was committed to sustaining imperial authority that his father established. He was concerned by the rising threat of Imperial Germany and established an alliance with France to help contain them. However to his east was another rising industrial power in the Empire of Japan. Things took a sharp downward turn for Nicholas II after Russia's defeat to Japan in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. From this point on the revolutionary fervor began to take center stage and the Nicholas was approaching his endgame. 

The Influence of Rasputin

Quite coincidentally during this downward turn for Imperial Russia, the mysterious Grigori Rasputin arose to influence. His story is no doubt one of great intrigue portrayed in many books and movies. I first came to understand his portrayal as the villainous sorcerer in the animated film, Anastasia. Of course this was no doubt a fabrication of his character, however he was still factually engaged in mystical and spiritual practices. He eventually amassed a cult following by the early 1900s that brought him great recognition and fame throughout Russia. 

Despite his peasant upbringing, Rasputin no doubt had an influence over the wealthy and his spiritual practice began welcomed by many of the elite throughout Moscow and St. Petersburg. In 1905 he first met the Tsar Nicholas II and found great favor with his wife Alexandra. From that point on the Romanov family felt he processed a spiritual power that could heal their sick son, Alexei (who indeed was mysteriously healed by 1912). It was also speculated around this time that Rasputin, who was known for his sexual promiscuity, was having an affair with the empress Alexandra.  

As Rasputin's influence over the Romanov family continued to grow, there were many within the Russian Orthodox church he felt he was a heretic. By 1909 his sexual controversary began to unravel with accusations of rape, which many felt were a danger to the royal family. At the onset of WWI, many right wing political members felt Rasputin had completely compromised the falling dynasty and blamed him for all of Russia's problems. In 1916 several prominent aristocrats such as Felix Yusupov, Dmitri Pavlovich, and Vladimir Purishkevich had Rasputin assassinated. However even despite his death, the fall of the Romanov Dynasty was well underway due to the unpopular involvement in WWI.

The Abdication, Imprisonment, and Execution

The film Doctor Zhivago makes it quite clear that it was World War I that was the final domino for the revolution. Hundreds-of-thousands of Russian peasants were put on the frontline and slaughtered by the superior German machinery. This devastating toll of Russian lives demonstrated Russia's inferiority in an industrial world and furthermore the loss-of-confidence in the Czar. By February of 1917 things finally reached a breaking point in Russia due to a brutal winter, a famine, and the death toll of WWI. The imperial army quickly sided with the revolutionary fervor and an in effort to restore order Nicholas II abdicated his throne on March 2nd, 1917. A provisional government was thus put in place, and after it's glorious 300 year reign the Romanov Dynasty had come to an end. 

Now here's where things get really interesting, and almost mirror the final months of the Bourbon Dynasty during the French Revolution. The imperial family had various chances to escape the growing tension and live a life in exile, however they were somewhat delusional of the severity at hand. After all Nicholas did have powerful allies in his cousins King George V of England and Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany. However he stubbornly refused to give in to panic a decision that would ultimately cause his family's demise. On March 20th of 1917 his family was put under house arrest by the provisional government. 

During this time in the spring and summer of 1917, despite heightened surveillance, the royal family was still well protected by the provisional government. Nicholas and his wife Alexandra insisted upon remaining calm and ignorant of the ongoing political events in Moscow. They lived a secluded life in the countryside mansion in Tobolsk, enjoying the forest and partaking in leisure activity. Even after the Bolsheviks seized power during the October Revolution, Nicholas still shrugged off escape plans and did not feel threatened by Vladimir Lenin. Things however began to turn by the winter of 1917-1918, when their royal funds were heavily reduced. 

By March of 1918 their window at escape quickly had begun to close as the Bolshevik Red Army heightened security measures on the royal family. This was in reaction to the growing threat of anti-revolutionaries forces such as the White Army who were more sympathetic towards restoring the monarchy. On April 30th the Romanov family was relocated to the much smaller Ipateiv House in Yekaterinburg under heavy surveillance. The situation grew more dire for the Romanov's in May, when the Czechoslovak white army was approaching the city of Moscow. At this point Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin felt the monarchy was too dangerous to be left alive. 

On July 17th the chief guard of the Ipateiv House, Yakov Yurovsky received his orders to execute the family. This was then carried out late at night by a firing squad in the basement. Tsar Nicholas was the first to be shot and murdered, and was then followed by the death of his wife and children; Olga, Anastasia, Tatiana, Maria, and Alexi. The daughters were wearing so much jewelry that it took numerous shots and eventual bayonet stabbings to kill them. Their bodies were then buried in the forest, and the shocking news was delivered to all of Russia. The Bolshevik reasoning for the execution was that the Czar was planning to escape and aid the counter revolutionaries. The execution of these young innocent children demonstrate the wickedness of the Red Army. 

The Legend of Anastasia

One final point of interest in regards to the execution of the Romanov Dynasty is this urban legend of the grand duchess Anastasia. The general folktale during the Soviet Era was that since her body was never discovered she somehow escaped the execution. This lead to multiple impersonators claiming to be the princess, most famously Anna Anderson. While the impersonators never had full proof, their royal claims became fodder for the media and literature. To this day, this is a very popular story that became celebrated in the iconic animated musical Anastasia. It was also the premise of the game I just played, Assassin's Creed: Russia which is the reason for this interest. 

While I find the story to be quite intriguing and romantic, it seems like the stuff of a Disney fairytale. A lost girl who happens to be a princess. There can be no way she managed to escape the basement of slaughter that the rest of her family suffered. Furthermore there was DNA proof in the 1990s that she was indeed executed on that most unfortunate day in 1918. While it makes for yet another great example of classic and iconic Russian literature, it is ultimately a falsehood. The grand duchess Anastasia, alongside her family, was sadly executed on the fateful day. It was not until many years later in the 1980s that the Bolshevik cruelty was recognized and the legacy of the Romanov family was restored as martyred saints.