Could King George V do more to save his family in Russia?

Question

should have said done more.


Was he wrong for not doing more?

Answer 1

If you respond to the question from an emotional, modern standpoint, he was wrong to rescind the offer of asylum, but looking at the climate of the time and having read many biographies of the Romanov's, WWI and the Windsors, it would have been a much trickier situation to navigate than Queen Victoria offering asylum to Napoleon III and his family.

The presence in England, who was already embroiled with socialists gaining the support of the working classes and the issues with Ireland, of a toppled dynasty who was viewed by many socialists and communists as despots--not to mention the fact that the Romanov's had been on the Russian throne for 300+ years--was a direct threat to the supremacy of the British monarchy.

WWI was still occurring when the Russia Revolution broke out and England was not in the position socially nor politically to offer refuge to a family whose own country blamed them for their widespread poverty and their decimation in the war. It would be akin to the West offering asylum to a Saddam(if Saddam had tried to apply for amnesty instead of going into hiding) after his regime was toppled.

The Romanov's were full believers in the "divine right of kings"--more so than Kaiser Wilhelm and the Hapsburg's--because of the mysticism they cultivated from the Russian Orthodox Church. Once WWI was over, I'm certain Nicholas would have felt urged on by pride in his own "divine right" to reclaim his throne and would have attracted way too much trouble for the British(most likely assassination attempts, coup plotting, emigre troubles, etc)--who had their own issues to deal with when their troops finally came home.

And bottom line--the system of the Russian Monarchy was antiquated and had stopped moving with the rest of the Western world a long time ago. Hosting a deposed monarch who symbolized the ideals WWI shattered, and who found nothing wrong with marching to that beat, would have created repercussions to the path the British monarchy had taken in becoming the way it is today.

Answer 2

He so much absolutely wasn't responsible of that. History tells us that at the same time the british govt and the king were not precisely pleased approximately a feasible exile lend to the russian imperial loved ones, they did not flat out refuse it. After all a couple of different royals sought safe haven within the kingdom and had no longer been grew to become away both. The Csars behaviour nevertheless used to be totally unusual: whilst you learn a few of his letters to each his cousins, the king and the kaiser it sort of feels he used to be fully torn at the hindrance of going into exile or no longer. He made questions to Britain, inquiring for inconceivable provisions, he even reached out to Denmark and within the subsequent second it sounds as if he refused to give some thought to any variety of giving up. I have learn many many very plausible bills that for ex. Germany (even though the enemy) or higher but spouse and children of the Csarina had furnished risk-free passage for the kids. There is even a few proof that the russian gurus might have agreed to allow the ladies move, in any case there's no manner they might have allow the Csar or the Csarevitch move. But in a QueenMom manner the mothers and fathers sealed their daughters destiny by way of determining that they might keep in combination until the tip. I do not believe that George felt "responsible" I believe he felt dangerous at no longer having been capable to save lots of this loved ones and esp the kids. Just as dangerous because the Kaiser felt and most often the complete of the royal family members in Germany, Denmark and so on... BTW, this sense of helplessness and/or might be guilt a minimum of stored the greek, for the British and the Germans ship their battle ships to Greece to choose up the royal loved ones earlier than whatever would occur....

Answer 3

He didn't like Nicholas but he had promised them sanctuary then changed his mind probably because he thought it might give the people of the UK revolutionary ideas