by Elle Willow

Created on: October 02, 2008

It is the year 1918. President Wilson has given his Fourteen Points speech in Congress, crying out for world peace. Women's rights activists have finally been granted the freedom to vote in the United States and Great Britain. It became legal to play baseball on Sundays in Washington D.C. and that child labor is unconstitutional. The Boston Red Sox won their first World Series over Chicago. November 11th, 1918, World War I was over as Germany signed an armistice to cease fighting. But one thing many people tend to overlook in this bloody year of both victories and high losses is the demise of the Tsar of Russia and his family.

Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov was born May 18th, 1868. He was the second son of Tsar Alexander III, but his brother, who would have taken the throne, died as a child. His grandfather, Tsar Alexander II, was assassinated when Nicholas was a young child. His father then took the throne who made certain his children were not raised with the trappings of royal life. Nicholas and his four siblings were all very well-educated and could speak many languages. Nicholas became engaged to Alix of Hesse in 1894, second oldest grandchild of Queen Victoria. Alix converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Alexandra. Alexander III's health suddenly and rapidly declined right after Nicholas and Alexandra's engagement and he died soon after of a kidney disease. Nicholas then became the Tsar of Russia in 1894.

By 1904, Tsar Nicholas had tried to expand his reign eastward, towards Japan, who was also expanding territory. Soon, their interested clashed in the small body of water between the tip of Russia that borders Mongolia and China as both were heading towards the Balkans. The Japanese attacked the Russians at Port Arthur, catching the Russian navy completely off guard, giving Japan an advantage. The war was quick and ended miserably for Russia, both on land and by sea, in 1905. Though Russia was in the throws of defeat, Tsar Nicholas still had full confidence in his country, but the morale of the country fell heavily. The Russian people began to revolt, starting with riots in front of the palace and escalading to the assassination of Nicholas' uncle, Grand Duke Sergei and the mutiny of the Black Sea fleet and Trans-Siberian Railroad workers, all of which caused the entire country to come to a stand still. Nicholas was confused as well as outraged.

Sunday, January 22nd, 1905 was the turn-point in Nicholas' life and the country of Russia. It is the

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>