by Patrick Nathan Cardamone

Created on: June 06, 2009   Last Updated: June 07, 2009

The reasons behind the fall of the Romanov dynasty and the concurrent Russian Revolution, while both complex and manifold, ultimately revolved around the fact that the dynasty produced a particularly lackluster ruler during a trying period. Tsar Nicholas II's stance as a fully autocratic ruler in Russia, derived from the philosophy of his father Tsar Alexander III, proved untenable in the long run.[1] While Nicholas acquired his father's adherence to the traditional ideal of Russian rulers, he did not inherit his natural talent. Ironically, had Nicholas been raised in the more liberal ways of his grandfather, the lives of both he and his family may not have ultimately been forfeit.[2] Tragically however, the chances of this were greatly depleted by his choice of bride, which might be marked as one of the first steps toward his eventual forced abdication.

Nicholas' first great misstep toward the end of his family's dynasty resulted from him falling in love with a German woman, much to the dismay of his father. Tsar Alexander III, ever the shrewd politician, desired that his son instead marry a French noble to solidify Russia's alliance with France. He likewise viewed his son marrying the German granddaughter of Queen Victoria, politically unwise.[3] Despite this, Nicholas, nevertheless smitten with the young Alexandra, married her. Over the tenure of their marriage, Nicholas' marriage to Alexandra proved mostly negative in terms of his relations with the Russian people. Alexandra, both a staunch conservative and a bit of an eccentric, accented the worst instincts of her husband. She often advised her husband against any reforms to the government that might place his traditional role as Tsar in a lesser light. Notably, sometimes this advice would be less based upon political theory, and more upon the counsel of various mystics and seers; most famously Rasputin, though there were others.[4] Exacerbating her eccentricities, her perceived aloofness in regards to the Russian people made matter worse. As Nicholas and Alexandra's son Alexi came into the world a hemophiliac, and both monarchs wished to not show any weakness in their bloodline, Alexandra spent a great deal of time taking care of the boy, often being late to, distracted from, or even simply absent at public functions. Combined with her German-born status, her association with the controversial Rasputin, and her known conservative views, Alexandra made an easy target for those wishing to stir up ill-sentiment

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