They say that if a person does not know the history of his native state, then he does not know his roots. On the one hand, what do we, who are living today, care about the fate of the rulers who ruled several hundred years ago? But practice shows that historical experience does not lose its relevance in any era. The reign of Nicholas 2 was the final chord in the reign of the Romanov dynasty, but it also turned out to be the most striking and turning point in the history of our country. In the article below you will get acquainted with the royal family, learn about what Nicholas 2 was like. The form of government of the state of his time, reforms and features of his government will be of interest to everyone.
The Last Emperor
Nikolai 2 had many titles and regalia: he was the Emperor of All Russia, the Grand Duke of Finland, the Tsar of Poland. He was appointed colonel, and the British monarchs awarded him the rank of field marshal of the British army and admiral of the navy. This suggests that among the heads of other states, he enjoyed respect and popularity. He was a man of easy communication, but at the same time he never lost his feelingown dignity. In any situation, the emperor never forgot that he was a person of royal blood. Even in exile, during house arrest and in the last days of his life, he remained a real person.
The reign of Nicholas 2 showed that patriots with good thoughts and glorious deeds for the good of the Fatherland did not disappear on Russian soil. Contemporaries said that Nicholas 2 looked more like a nobleman: a simple-hearted, conscientious man, he approached any business responsibly and always sensitively responded to someone else's pain. He was condescending to all people, even ordinary peasants, he could easily talk on an equal footing with any of them. But the sovereign never forgave those who got involved in money scams, cheated and deceived others.
Reforms of Nicholas 2
The Emperor ascended the throne in 1896. This is a difficult time for Russia, difficult for the common people and dangerous for the ruling class. The emperor himself firmly adhered to the principles of autocracy and always emphasized that he would strictly preserve his charter and did not intend to carry out any changes. The date of the reign of Nicholas 2 fell on a difficult time for the state, so the revolutionary unrest among the people and their dissatisfaction with the ruling class forced Nicholas 2 to carry out two major reforms. These were: the political reform of 1905-1907. and the agrarian reform of 1907. The history of the reign of Nicholas 2 shows that almost every step of the sovereign was implored and calculated.
Bulygin reform of 1905
The first reform began withpreparatory stage, which took place from February to August 1905. A Special Meeting was created, which was led by the Minister of the Interior A. G. Bulygin. During this time, a manifesto was prepared on the establishment of the State Duma and the Regulations on elections. They were published on August 6, 1905. But because of the uprising of the working class, the legislative Bulygin Duma was not convened.
In addition, the All-Russian political strike took place, which forced Emperor Nicholas 2 to make serious political concessions and issue a manifesto on October 17, which endowed the legislative Duma with legislative rights, proclaimed political freedom and significantly expanded the circle of voters.
All the work of the Duma and the principles of its formation were written down in the Election Regulations of December 11, 1905, in the Decree on the composition and structure of the State Duma of February 20, 1906, and also in the Fundamental Laws of April 23, 1906. Changes in the state structure are formalized by a legislative act. Legislative functions were given to the State Council and the Council of Ministers, which began its work on October 19, 1905, and Yu. V. Witte. The reforms of Nicholas 2 indirectly pushed the state to change power and overthrow the autocracy.
The collapse of the Duma in 1906-1907
The first composition of the State Duma in Russia was very democratic, but the demands put forward were radical. They believed that political transformation should continue, demanded that the landowners stop land ownership, they condemnedautocracy based on total terror. In addition, they expressed distrust of the ruling power. Of course, all these innovations were not acceptable to the ruling class. Therefore, the first and second thoughts of 1906-1907. were dissolved by Emperor Nicholas 2.
The political reform of Nicholas 2 ended with the creation of the third June monarchy, in which the rights of the people were severely limited. The new political system could not work with unresolved socio-economic and political problems.
The reign of Nicholas 2 was a turning point for the political system of the state. The Duma turned into a platform for criticizing the authorities, showing itself as an opposition body. This prompted a new revolutionary uprising and further intensified the crisis in society.
Agrarian "Stolypin" reform
The process of transformation began in 1907. And P. A. Stolypin. The main goal was to preserve landownership. To achieve this result, it was decided that it was necessary to liquidate the communities and sell the land to the peasants living in the villages through the Peasants' Bank. In order to reduce the lack of peasant land, they began to resettle peasants beyond the Urals. In the hope that all these measures will stop social upheavals in society and it will be possible to modernize agriculture, they launched an agrarian reform.
The rise of the Russian economy
Introduced innovations have brought tangible results in the agricultural sector, the economy of the Russian state has experienced a noticeable rise. Grain yields increased by 2centner per hectare, the volume of harvested products increased by 20%, grain exported abroad increased 1.5 times in volume. The incomes of the peasants increased markedly and their purchasing power increased. The reign of Nicholas 2 raised agriculture to a new level.
But, despite a noticeable rise in the economy, the ruler could not solve social issues. The form of government remained the same, and dissatisfaction with it among the people gradually increased. So only 25% of the households left the community, 17% of those resettled beyond the Urals returned, and 20% of the peasants who took the land through the Peasants' Bank went bankrupt. As a result, the provision of peasants with allotments of land decreased from 11 acres to 8 acres. It became clear that the second reform of Nicholas 2 ended unsatisfactorily and the agrarian problem was not resolved.
Summing up the results of the reign of Nicholas 2, it can be argued that by 1913 the Russian Empire had become one of the richest in the world. This did not prevent 4 years later to villainously kill the great king, his entire family and faithful close associates.
Features of education of the future emperor
Nicholas 2 himself was brought up in strictness and in a Spartan way. He devoted a lot of time to sports, there was simplicity in clothes, and delicacies and sweets were only on holidays. Such an attitude towards children showed that even if they were born into a rich and noble family, then this is not their merit. It was believed that the main thing is what you know and can do and what kind of soul you have. The royal family of Nicholas 2 is an example of a friendly, fruitful union of husband and wifeand their well-bred children.
The future emperor transferred such upbringing to his own family. From childhood, the daughters of the king knew what pain and suffering were, they knew how to help those who needed it. For example, the eldest daughters Olga and Maria, together with their mother, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, worked in military hospitals during the First World War. To do this, they took special medical courses and stood on their feet at the operating table for several hours.
At present, we know that the life of the tsar and his family is a constant fear for his life, for his family and for the entire Fatherland. First of all, this is a great responsibility, care and concern for the whole people. And the "profession" of the tsar is ungrateful and dangerous, which is confirmed by the history of the Russian state. The royal family of Nicholas II became the standard of marital fidelity for many years.
Head of the Imperial Family
Nicholas 2 himself became the last Russian tsar, and the reign of Russia of the House of Romanov ended with him. He was the eldest son in the family, and his parents were Emperor Alexander 3 and Maria Feodorovna Romanov. After the tragic death of his grandfather, he became the heir to the Russian throne. Nicholas 2 had a calm character, was distinguished by great religiosity, grew up as a shy and thoughtful boy. However, at the right time, he was always firm and persistent in his intentions and actions.
The Empress and mother of the family
The wife of the Russian Emperor Nicholas 2 was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Drmstadt Ludwig, and her motherwas a princess of England. The future Empress was born on June 7, 1872 in Darmstadt. Her parents named her Alix and gave her a true English upbringing. The girl was born the sixth in a row, but this did not prevent her from becoming an educated and worthy successor to the English family, because her own grandmother was Queen Victoria of England. The future empress had a balanced character and was very shy. Despite her noble birth, she led a spartan lifestyle, taking a cold bath in the morning and spending the night on a hard bed.
Favorite children of the royal family
The first child in the family of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was daughter Olga. She was born in 1895 in the month of November and became the favorite child of her parents. Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna Romanova was very smart, affable and distinguished by great abilities in the study of all kinds of sciences. She was distinguished by sincerity and generosity, and her Christian soul was pure and fair. The beginning of the reign of Nicholas 2 was marked by the birth of the first child.
The second child of Nicholas 2 was the daughter Tatyana, who was born on June 11, 1897. Outwardly, she resembled her mother, but her character was that of her father. She had a strong sense of duty and liked order in everything. Grand Duchess Tatyana Nikolaevna Romanova was good at embroidering and sewing, had a sound mind and remained herself in all life situations.
The next and, accordingly, the third child of the emperor and empress was another daughter - Maria. She was born June 27, 1899of the year. Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna Romanova differed from her sisters in good nature, friendliness and cheerfulness. She had a beautiful appearance and had great vitality. She was very attached to her parents and loved them madly.
The sovereign was looking forward to his son, but the fourth child in the royal family was again the girl Anastasia. The emperor loved her like all his daughters. Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova was born on June 18, 1901 and was very similar in character to a boy. She turned out to be a smart and frisky child, she loved to play pranks and had a cheerful disposition.
On August 12, 1904, the long-awaited heir was born into the imperial family. The boy was named Alexei, in honor of the great great-grandfather Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. The Tsarevich inherited all the best from his father and mother. He dearly loved his parents, and Father Nikolai 2 was a real idol for him, he always tried to imitate him.
Ascension to the Throne
May 1896 was marked by the most important event - the coronation of Nicholas 2 took place in Moscow. It was the last such event: the tsar was the last not only in the Romanov dynasty, but also in the history of the Russian Empire. Ironically, it was this coronation that became the most majestic and luxurious. Thus began the reign of Nicholas 2. On the most important occasion, the city was decorated with colorful illuminations that had just appeared at that time. According to eyewitnesses, there was literally a "sea of fire" at the event.
Representatives of all countries gathered in the capital of the Russian Empire. From heads of state to ordinary people, representatives of every class were at the inauguration ceremony. In order to capture this significant day in colors, venerable artists came to Moscow: Serov, Ryabushkin, Vasnetsov, Repin, Nesterov and others. The coronation of Nicholas 2 was a real holiday for the Russian people.
The last coin of the empire
Numismatics is a truly interesting science. She studies not just coins and banknotes of different states and eras. In the collections of the largest numismatists one can trace the history of the country, its economic, political and social changes. So the chervonets of Nicholas 2 became a legendary coin.
The first time it was issued in 1911, and then every year the Mint minted gold coins in huge numbers. The denomination of the coin was 10 rubles and was made of gold. It would seem, why is this money so attracts the attention of numismatists and historians? The catch is that the number of issued and minted coins was limited. And, therefore, it makes sense to compete for the coveted gold piece. There were far more of them than the mint claimed. But, unfortunately, among the large number of fakes and "imposters" it is difficult to find a genuine coin.
Why does the coin have so many "doubles"? There is an opinion that someone was able to take the front and back stamps out of the mint and hand them over to counterfeiters. Historians claim that it could be either Kolchak, who "minted" a lot of gold coins,to undermine the country's economy, or the Soviet government, which tried to pay off Western partners with this money. It is known that for a long time the countries of the West did not seriously recognize the new government and continued to pay off Russian gold coins. Also, the mass production of counterfeit coins could be carried out much later, and from low-quality gold.
Foreign policy of Nicholas 2
There were two major military campaigns during the emperor's reign. In the Far East, the Russian state faced an aggressive Japan. In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began, which was supposed to distract the common people from the socio-economic problems of the state. The largest hostilities took place near the fortress of Port Arthur, which surrendered in December 1904. Near Mukend, the Russian army lost the battle in February 1905. And off the island of Tsushima in May 1905, the Russian fleet was defeated and completely sunk. The Russo-Japanese Military Company ended with the signing of peace agreements in Portsmouth in August 1905, according to which Korea and the southern part of Sakhalin Island were ceded to Japan.
World War I
In the city of Sarajevo in Bosnia, the heir to the Austrian throne F. Ferdinand was killed, which was the reason for the start of the First World War of 1914 between the Triple Alliance and the Entente. The Triple Alliance included such states as Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. And the Entente included Russia, England and France.
The main hostilities took place on the Western Front in 1914year. On the Eastern Front, Austria-Hungary was defeated by the Russian army and was close to capitulation. But Germany helped Austria-Hungary survive and continue its offensive against Russia.
Again, Germany went against Russia in the spring and summer of 1915, capturing Poland, part of the B altic states, part of Western Belarus and Ukraine during this offensive. And in 1916, German troops struck the main blow on the Western Front. In turn, the Russian troops broke through the front and defeated the Austrian army, General A. A. led the military operations. Brusilov.
The foreign policy of Nicholas 2 led to the fact that the Russian state was economically exhausted by a long war, political problems were also ripe. The deputies did not hide the fact that they were not satisfied with the policy pursued by the ruling power. The worker-peasant question was never resolved, and the Patriotic War only aggravated it. By signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on March 5, 1918, Russia ended the war.
Summing up
One can talk about the fate of the rulers for a long time. The results of the reign of Nicholas 2 are as follows: Russia experienced a colossal leap in economic development, as well as increased political and social contradictions. During the reign of the emperor, there were two revolutions at once, the last of which became decisive. Large-scale transformations in relations with other countries led to the fact that the Russian Empire increased its influence in the east. The reign of Nicholas 2 was extremely controversial. Perhaps that is why it was in those years that events took place that led to a change in the political system.
You can discuss for a long time, it was necessary to do the emperor one way or another. Historians still do not agree on who the last emperor of the Russian Empire was - a great autocrat or the death of statehood. The era of the reign of Nicholas 2 is a very difficult time for the Russian Empire, but at the same time remarkable and fateful.
