2006-07-29 01:35:43 · 5 answers · asked by corner of the morning 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Unlike his father and his grandfather, Nicholas was a very weak ruler. His cabinet of military generals and admirals influenced his decisons greatly due to the overwhelming presence of his uncle, a Grand Duke Dimitri and brother to Nicholas's father, Alexander.
Although he actually professed to care for his people, the conditions that they existed in were horrible. The rich were rich and the poor beyond destitute. Any hint of dissention was quickly uncovered by the Tsar's secret police and protesters who marched on the Winter Palace to present a list of grievences to Nicholas were trampled and cut down by Cossacks and fired upon by palace guards. Nicholas, who was not even at the palace at the time was mortified but made no effort to address his people or even make amends for this act.
Russia's entry into the war with Japan was disasterous. The Russians believed they had a superior navy and the admirial in charge had all of his ships painted with black hulls and bright yellow smoke stacks. The color scheme was more showy than practical and the Russians soon found out that when they engaged the japanese fleet their smokestacks stood out like beacons through the smoke and flame of the battle. The entire fleet was sunk, leaving Russia almost navy-less and another smear on the record of Nicholas. The venture into World War I against his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm was another fiasco that saw Russian soldiers fighting in sub zero weather, bootless, uniforms in tatters and soldiers being issued anywhere from 2 to 3 bullets a day. The artillery shells shipped to the front were found to be filled with sawdust due to corrution and theievery in the factories back home.
This was only the start of dissention that would eventually lead to mutiny in the army and the navy and ultimately the overthrown of the Romanov Dynasty.
Although a loving and caring family man who worshipped his German born wife (hated by the Russian people and seen as a spy for the kaiser and a mistress to Rasputin, the wild-eyed and lecherous holy man) and his children, he had no concept of how to keep his subjects happy and content. His thought was that there should be no Duma (a congress of representatives) because as Tsar he had absolute power over everyone by the grace of God.
It cost the man and his entrie family their lives after they were shot and hacked to pieces by orders of Lenin.
2006-07-29 01:54:10 · answer #1 · answered by Quasimodo 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
tsar nicholas is a family man but he was a v weak leader. lots of bolsheviks/anti tsar politicians were against him n tried 2 overthrow d gov. they suceeded in oct 17 1917-hence d russian rev. d tsar was plagued by a falling empire and lots of trouble fr his aides.also,his wife was madly influenced by rasputin.he was so confused w. wht to do tht he let her do wht she wanted 4 their dying son.but rasputin was fed by the gov aides against d tsar. so he's a weak leader but a kind person.
2006-07-29 02:10:10 · answer #2 · answered by Samantha Stephens 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as a person tsar nicholas was a family man, he loved his wife and children and loved his home life. he probably would have had a much happier life if he was born just a normal man...
as a leader, he was inefficent and believed that God has ordained him to rule russia and that his word was God given...
to learn more, read Nichlas and Alexander..a book by Robert Massie. you can find it at your library...
2006-07-29 01:45:17 · answer #3 · answered by intelligentbooklady 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a person he was the nicest man you could ever meet, as a leader he was so-so.
2006-07-29 01:37:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
never met him
2006-07-29 01:37:23 · answer #5 · answered by Dr Dee 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋