Downfall of the Romanovs – the Romanov Dynasty
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The Romanov Dynasty was destroyed as a result of various disastrous events and crucial mistakes made by Tsar Nicholas Romanov II. The Tsars incompetence and poor leadership ultimately led to his familys centuries long rule coming to end. The growing political awareness of Russias workers, the failure to introduce reforms following the 1905 revolution, the hardships of WWI, the growth of political parties in opposition to the Tsar and the incompetence of the Tsarina all played a part in the fall of Romanov Dynasty – However, all of the aforementioned factors were either worsened due to or were a result of the Tsars poor decision making and lack of financial planning.
Tsar Nicholas was politically naive and had a tendency to trust the wrong people. He was not interested in government business and did not have the confidence in his ability to rule. That said, Nicholas refused to make reforms for fear of undermining his autocratic power, and used military force in answer to demands for reforms. The events of Bloody Sunday prove this much, and whilst the order to fire on a peaceful, unarmed crowd may not have come from Nicholas himself, it shows the results of his trusting the wrong people with authority. The Tsar was unwilling to follow through on the promises he made to the people, as evidenced by his dealings with the October Manifesto. The Tsars poor leadership was a large factor in the downfall of his familys dynasty because it worsened situations and resulted in widespread discontent among his people.
Growing political awareness and discontent of Russias workers also contributed to the fall of Romanov rule. In 19th century Russia, peasants living standards were poor. The government encouraged industrial growth, so workers left the country side for the cities, in the hopes of finding a better life. Thus, the population in the cities grew immensely, which resulted in a decline in factory and housing conditions and a large, increasingly rebellious working class. Living and working conditions were overcrowded, unhygienic and poorly built, only half of which had running water and sewerage systems. Workers had twelve hour days and poor wages, and no trade unions to fight for better conditions, as these were illegal. Therefore, the revolutionary activists such as the Social Democrats and Social Revolutionaries had a willing audience. Workers began to increasingly go on strike, demanding improved housing and factory conditions. This, combined with the events of Bloody Sunday, instigated the 1905 Revolution, during which there was months of strikes, peasant revolts, and mutinies amongst the navy and army. In October 1905, a general strike stopped all services from functioning, and police could not maintain law and order as workers rioted in the streets. It appeared the Romanov government would be overthrown, until Tsar Nicholas agreed to introduce reforms, which he did in the