Description of Nicholas 2. "31 controversial issue" of Russian history: the life of Emperor Nicholas II
Today marks the 147th anniversary of the birth of the last Russian emperor. Although a lot has been written about Nicholas II, much of what has been written refers to "folk fiction," delusions.
The king was modest in clothing. Unpretentious
Nicholas II was remembered for the many preserved photographs by an unpretentious person. He was really unpretentious in food. He liked fried dumplings, which he often ordered while walking on his favorite yacht Standard. The king observed fasting and generally ate moderately, tried to keep himself fit, and therefore preferred simple foods: cereals, rice cutlets and pasta with mushrooms.
Among the guards officers, the Nikolashka appetizer was a success. Her recipe is attributed to Nicholas II. Dusted sugar mixed with ground coffee, this mixture was sprinkled with a slice of lemon, which was eaten with a glass of cognac.
Regarding clothes, the situation was different. The wardrobe of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace alone consisted of several hundred units of military uniform and civilian clothing: frock coats, uniforms of guards and army regiments and overcoats, fur coats, short fur coats, shirts and underwear, made in the capital's workshop Nordenshtrem, a hussar’s mentic and dolman, in which Nikolai II was on the wedding day. Accepting foreign ambassadors and diplomats, the king put on the uniform of the state where the envoy was from. Often Nicholas II had to change clothes six times a day. Here, in the Alexander Palace, kept a collection of cigarette cases, which were collected by Nicholas II.
It must be admitted, however, that of the 16 million allocated annually to the royal family, the lion's share went to the payment of benefits for palace employees (one Winter Palace served personnel of 1,200 people), to support the Academy of Arts (the royal family was a guardian, therefore expenses) and other needs.
The spending was serious. The construction of the Livadia Palace cost the Russian treasury 4.6 million rubles, 350 thousand rubles a year were spent on the royal garage, and 12 thousand rubles a year on photography.
This is taking into account the fact that the average household expenditure in the Russian Empire at that time was about 85 rubles per year per capita.
Each Grand Duke was also entitled to an annual rent of two hundred thousand rubles. Each of the Grand Duchesses was given a marriage dowry in the amount of one million rubles. At birth, a member of the imperial family received a capital of one million rubles.
Colonel Tsar personally went to the front and led the armies
Many photographs have been preserved, where Nicholas II takes the oath, comes to the front and eats from the field kitchen, where he is "the father of the soldiers." Nicholas II really loved everything military. He practically did not wear civilian clothes, preferring uniforms.
It is generally accepted that the emperor himself led the actions of the Russian army in. However, it is not. The generals and the military council decided. Several factors influenced the improvement of the situation at the front with the assumption of command by Nikolai. Firstly, by the end of August 1915, the Great Retreat was stopped, the German army suffered from extended communications, and secondly, the situation was also affected by the change of the General Staff - Yanushkevich to Alekseev.
Nicholas II really went to the front, loved to live in Stavka, sometimes with his family, often took his son with him, but never (unlike the cousins \u200b\u200bof George and William) never came closer to the front line than 30 kilometers. The emperor took IV degree shortly after a German plane flew over the horizon during the arrival of the king.
The absence of the emperor in Petersburg affected domestic politics badly. He began to lose influence on the aristocracy and government. This proved to be fertile ground for internal corporate divisions and indecision during the February Revolution.
From the diary of the emperor on August 23, 1915 (the day of assuming the duties of the Supreme High Command): "Slept well. The morning was rainy: in the afternoon the weather recovered and it became completely warm. At 3.30, he arrived at his Headquarters one verst from the mountains. Mogilev. Nikolasha was waiting for me. After talking with him, he accepted the gene. Alekseeva and his first report. Everything worked out well! After drinking tea, he went to inspect the surrounding area. The train stands in a small dense forest. Dined at 7½. Then he took another walk, the evening was excellent. ”
The introduction of gold security is a personal merit of the emperor
The economically successful reforms carried out by Nicholas II, it is customary to include the monetary reform of 1897, when the gold security of the ruble was introduced in the country. However, preparations for monetary reform began in the mid-1880s, under finance ministers Bunge and Vyshnegradsky, during the reign.
Reform was a necessary means of avoiding credit money. Its author can be considered. The tsar himself avoided solving monetary problems; by the beginning of World War I, Russia's foreign debt was 6.5 billion rubles, only 1.6 billion were secured with gold.
He made personal "unpopular" decisions. Often contrary to the Duma
It is customary to talk about Nicholas II that he personally carried out reforms, often contrary to the Duma. However, in fact, Nicholas II rather "did not interfere." He did not even have a personal secretariat. But with him, well-known reformers were able to develop their abilities. Such as Witte and. At the same time, the relations between the two “second politicians” were far from idyllic.
Sergei Witte wrote about Stolypin: "Nobody destroyed the appearance of justice as much as he, Stolypin, and everything, accompanied by liberal speeches and gestures."
Peter Arkadievich did not lag behind. Witte, who was unhappy with the results of the investigation into the attempt on his life, he wrote: “From your letter, Count, I have to make one conclusion: either you consider me an idiot, or you find that I also participate in an attempt on your life ...”.
Sergey Witte wrote succinctly about Stolypin’s death: “They killed”.
Nicholas II never personally wrote the detailed resolutions, limited himself to notes in the margins, more often than not, he simply put a “sign of reading”. He sat on official commissions no more than 30 times, always on extraordinary occasions, the emperor’s remarks at the meetings were brief, he chose one side or another in the discussion.
The Hague court - the brilliant "brainchild" of the king
It is believed that the Hague international court was the brilliant brainchild of Nicholas II. Yes, indeed the Russian Tsar was the initiator of the First Hague Peace Conference, but he was not the author of all its decisions.
The most useful thing that the Hague Convention was able to do was related to military laws. Thanks to the agreement, prisoners of war of the First World War were kept in acceptable conditions, could contact the house, were not forced to work; sanitary facilities were protected from attacks, the wounded received care, civilians were not subjected to mass violence.
But in fact, the Permanent Court of Arbitration for the 17 years of its work did not bring much benefit. Russia did not even turn to the House during the crisis in Japan, other signatories did the same. "Turned Zilch" and the Convention on the Peaceful Resolution of International Affairs. The Balkans broke out in the world, and then the First World War.
The Hague does not affect international affairs today. Few heads of state of world powers appeal to an international court.
Grigory Rasputin had a strong influence on the king
Even before the abdication of Nicholas II, rumors began to appear among the people about the excessive influence on the king. According to them, it turned out that the state was governed not by the tsar, not by the government, but by the Tobolsk "old man" personally.
Of course, this was far from the case. Rasputin had influence at court; he was also a member of the emperor’s house. Nicholas II and the Empress called him “our friend” or “Gregory,” and he called them “father and mother.”
However, the influence of Rasputin still had on the empress, while government decisions were made without his participation. So, it is well known that Rasputin opposed Russia's entry into the First World War, and even after Russia entered the conflict, he tried to convince the imperial family to go to peace negotiations with the Germans.
Most (of the Grand Dukes) supported the war with Germany and focused on England. For the latter, a separate peace between Russia and Germany threatened with defeat in the war.
Do not forget that Nicholas II was a cousin of both the German emperor William II and the brother of the British king George V. Rasputin, however, performed an applied function at court - he relieved the suffering of the heir Alexei. A circle of exalted admirers really formed around him, but Nicholas II did not belong to them.
Did not abdicate
One of the most lasting misconceptions is the myth that Nicholas II did not abdicate, and the document of abdication is a fake. It really has a lot of oddities: it was written on a typewriter on telegraphic forms, although there were pens and writing paper on the train where Nikolai abdicated on March 15, 1917, there were. Supporters of the version of the falsification of the manifesto of renunciation cite the fact that the document is signed in pencil.
This is just nothing strange. Nikolai signed many documents with a pencil. Another is strange. If this is really a fake and the king did not deny, he should have written at least something about this in correspondence, but there is not a word about it. Nicholas abdicated for himself and his son in favor of his brother - Mikhail Alexandrovich.
The diary entries of the confessor of the tsar, rector of the Fedorovsky Cathedral, Archpriest Athanasius Belyaev, have been preserved. In a conversation after a confession, Nicholas II told him: “... And so, alone, without a close adviser, deprived of liberty, like a caught criminal, I signed the act of renunciation for myself and for the son’s heir. I decided that if it is necessary for the good of the homeland, I am ready for anything. My family is sorry! ”.
The very next day, March 3 (16), 1917, Mikhail Alexandrovich also abdicated, passing the decision on the form of government to the Constituent Assembly.
Yes, the manifesto was obviously written under pressure, and it was not Nikolai who wrote it. It is unlikely that he himself would have written: “There is no sacrifice that I would not have brought in the name of a real good and for the salvation of my mother Russia”. However, there was a formal renunciation.
Interestingly, the myths and cliches about the king’s abdication went largely from the book of Alexander Blok “The Last Days of Imperial Power”. The poet enthusiastically accepted the revolution and became the literary editor of the Extraordinary Commission for the affairs of the former royal ministers. That is, he literally processed shorthand records of interrogations.
Against the creation of the role of the martyr king, young Soviet propaganda carried out active agitation. Its effectiveness can be judged by the diary of the peasant Zamaraev (he kept it for 15 years), preserved in the museum of the city of Totma, Vologda region. The head of a peasant is full of cliches imposed by propaganda:
“Nikolai Romanov and his family are deposed, they are all under arrest and receive all products on an equal basis with others on cards. Indeed, they did not care at all for the welfare of their people, and the patience of the people burst. They brought their state to hunger and darkness. What was done in their palace. This is horror and shame! It was not Nicholas II who ruled the state, but the drunkard Rasputin. All princes were replaced and dismissed, including Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Nikolaevich. Everywhere in all cities there is a new administration, there is no old police. ”
Nature did not give Nicholas important properties for the emperor, which his late father possessed. Most importantly, Nikolai did not have a “mind of the heart” - political instinct, foresight and the inner strength that others feel and submit to it. However, Nicholas himself felt his weakness, helplessness before fate. He even foresaw his bitter destiny: "I will undergo difficult trials, but I will not see the rewards on earth." Nikolai considered himself an eternal loser: “I do not succeed in my endeavors. I have no luck ”... In addition, he was not only not prepared for the reign, but also did not like government affairs, which were for him a torment, a heavy burden:“ A day of rest for me - no reports, no receptions ... I read a lot - heaps of papers were sent again ... ”(from the diary). There was no fatherly passion, dedication to work. He said: "I ... try not to think about anything and find that this is the only way to rule Russia." At the same time, dealing with him was extremely difficult. Nikolai was secretive, vindictive. Witte called him a "Byzantine," who knew how to attract a person with his confidence, and then deceive. One wit wrote like this about the king: "He does not lie, but he does not tell the truth either."
Khodynka
And three days later [after the coronation of Nicholas on May 14, 1896 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin], a terrible tragedy took place in the suburban Khodynsky field, where the festivities were to take place. Thousands of people already in the evening, on the eve of the day of festivities, began to gather there, hoping in the morning to be among the first to receive a royal gift in the "buffet" (which prepared a hundred) - one of 400 thousand of gifts wrapped in a colored scarf, consisting of a "food set" ( half a pound of sausage, sausages, sweets, nuts, gingerbread), and most importantly - a strange, “eternal” enameled mug with a royal monogram and gilding. The Khodynka field was a training ground and was all pitted with ditches, trenches and pits. The night stood out moonless, dark, crowds of "guests" arrived and arrived, heading for the "buffets". People, not seeing the roads in front of them, fell into holes and ditches, and those who approached from Moscow pressed and pushed them behind. [...]
In total, about half a million Muscovites gathered in huge crowds gathered in the morning at Khodynka. As V. A. Gilyarovsky recalled,
“Steam, like swamp fog, began to rise above the millionth crowd ... The crush was terrible. It was wrong with many, some lost consciousness, unable to get out or even fall: deprived of feelings, with their eyes closed, squeezed, as if in a vice, they swayed with the mass. "
The stampede intensified when the bartenders, in fear of the onslaught of the crowd, without waiting for the announced deadline, began to give out gifts ...
According to official figures, 1389 people died, although in reality there were much more victims. Even those who saw the military and firefighters who saw the blood froze: the scalped heads, squashed chests, premature babies lying in the dust ... The king found out about this disaster in the morning, but didn’t cancel any of the planned festivities and in the evening opened a ball with the charming wife of the French ambassador Montebello ... And although then the king visited the infirmaries and donated money to the families of the victims, it was too late. The indifference shown by the sovereign to his people in the first hours of the disaster cost him dearly. He received the nickname "Nikolai the Bloody."
Nicholas II and the Army
When he was the heir to the throne, the young Tsar received thorough combat training, not only in the guard, but also in the army infantry. At the request of his sovereign father, he served as a junior officer in the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment (the first case of a member of the Tsar’s House being placed in the army infantry). The observant and sensitive Tsarevich got acquainted in every detail with the life of the troops and, becoming the Emperor of All Russia, turned his full attention to the improvement of this life. His first orders, on the other hand, ordered the production in chief officer ranks, increased salaries and pensions, and improved the soldiers ’allowance. He canceled the passage of the ceremonial march, running, knowing from experience how difficult it is for the troops.
The Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich kept this love and attachment to the troops until his very martyrdom. Characteristic of Emperor Nicholas II’s love for the troops is his avoidance of the official term “lower rank”. The sovereign considered him too dry, official and always used the words: “Cossack”, “hussar”, “shooter”, etc. Without deep excitement, you cannot read the lines of the Tobolsk diary of the dark days of the damned year:
December 6. My name day ... A prayer service was served at 12 o’clock. The arrows of the 4th regiment, who were in the garden, and who were on guard, all congratulated me, and I congratulated them on the regimental holiday. ”
FROM THE DIARY OF NICHOLAS II FOR 1905
June 15th. Wednesday. Hot, quiet day. Alix and I took them at the Farm for a very long time and were late for breakfast for an hour. Uncle Alexei was expecting him with the children in the garden. Did a great kayak ride. Aunt Olga came to tea. Swam in the sea. After lunch, ride.
I received overwhelming news from Odessa that the team of the battleship “Prince Potemkin-Tavricheskiy” that had arrived there rebelled, interrupted the officers and captured the ship, threatening unrest in the city. I just can’t believe it!
Today the war with Turkey has begun. Early in the morning, the Turkish squadron approached Sevastopol in the fog and opened fire on the batteries, and left half an hour later. At the same time, “Breslau” bombarded Theodosius, and “Goeben” appeared in front of Novorossiysk.
Germans - scoundrels continue to retreat hastily in western Poland.
MANIFESTO ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE Ist State Duma on July 9, 1906
By our will, people elected from the population were called to the legislative construction [...] Firmly trusting in the mercy of God, believing in the bright and great future of our people, We expected from the labors their good and benefit for the country. [...] We have outlined major transformations in all sectors of public life, and our main concern has always been our main concern to dispel the darkness of the people with the light of enlightenment and the burdens of the people by facilitating land labor. Our expectations are sent a severe test. Instead of working to build the legislative, the elected from the population deviated into an area not belonging to them and turned to investigating the actions of the local authorities put forward by Us, indicating to us the imperfection of the Basic Laws, changes of which can be undertaken only by Our Monarch’s will, and to actions that are clearly illegal, as appeal on behalf of the Duma to the population. [...]
Confused by such unrest, the peasantry, not expecting a legal improvement in their situation, in a whole series of provinces switched to open robbery, theft of other people's property, disobedience to the law and the legitimate authorities. [...]
But let Our citizens remember that only with complete order and tranquility can a lasting improvement in the way of life be possible. Let it be known that We will not allow any willfulness or lawlessness, and with all the power of state power we will bring the disobedience of the law to submission to our Tsar's will. We urge all well-meaning Russian people to unite to maintain legitimate authority and restore peace in our dear Fatherland.
May calmness be restored in the Russian land, and may the Most High help us to carry out the most important of our royal labors - raising the welfare of the peasantry. Our will is adamant to this, and the Russian plowman, without prejudice to other people's possession, will receive, where there is a narrow land, legal and an honest way to expand your land ownership. Persons of other classes will make every effort at Our call to accomplish this great task, the final solution of which in law will belong to the future composition of the Duma.
By dismissing the current composition of the State Duma, we reaffirm at the same time that Our intention is to maintain the law on the establishment of this establishment, and, accordingly, with this Decree, to our Governing Senate on July 8 of this data, we have appointed the time of its new convocation on February 20, 1907 of the year.
MANIFESTO ON THE DISSOLUTION OF THE II STATE DUMA JUNE 3, 1907
To our regret, a significant part of the composition of the second State Duma did not live up to our expectations. Not with a pure heart, not with a desire to strengthen Russia and improve its system, many of the people sent from the population started to work, but with a clear desire to increase the turmoil and contribute to the decomposition of the state. The activities of these individuals in the State Duma served as an insurmountable obstacle to fruitful work. On Wednesday, the Duma itself introduced a spirit of hostility, which prevented a sufficient number of its members from rallying who wanted to work for the benefit of their native land.
For this reason, the State Duma, which was developed by our government by our government, either did not examine it at all, or slowed down the discussion or rejected it, not even stopping to reject the laws that punished the open praise of crimes and strictly punished the seeders of unrest in the troops. Avoiding the condemnation of murder and violence. The State Duma did not render moral assistance to the government in the matter of establishing order, and Russia continues to experience the shame of criminal hard times. Slow consideration by the State Duma of the state painting caused difficulty in timely meeting many of the urgent needs of the people.
A significant part of the Duma has turned the right of inquiries to the government into a way to fight the government and arouse distrust of it in the general population. Finally, an act unheard of in the annals of history happened. The judicial branch revealed the conspiracy of an entire part of the State Duma against the state and the tsarist government. When our government demanded a temporary, until the end of the trial, elimination of the fifty-five members of the Duma accused of a crime and the detention of the most convicted of them, the State Duma did not comply with the immediate legal requirement of the authorities, which did not allow any delay. [...]
Created to strengthen the Russian state, the State Duma should be Russian and in spirit. Other nationalities that were part of our state should have representatives of their needs in the State Duma, but they should not and will not be among those that enable them to be the arbiters of purely Russian issues. In the same outskirts of the state where the population has not achieved sufficient development of citizenship, elections to the State Duma should be temporarily suspended.
FOORISH AND RASPUTIN
The king, and especially the queen, were subject to mysticism. The closest maid of honor Alexandra Fedorovna and Nicholas II Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova (Taneeva) wrote in her memoirs: “The sovereign, like his ancestor Alexander I, was always mystically disposed; the empress was equally mystically inclined ... Their majesties said that they believe that there are people, as in the time of the Apostles ... who possess the grace of God and whose prayer the Lord hears. "
Because of this, in the Winter Palace it was often possible to see various holy fools, "blessed ones", fortune tellers, people who were supposedly able to influence the fates of people. This is Pasha, the perspicacious, and Matrena the sandal, and Mitya Kozelsky, and Anastasia Nikolaevna Leuchtenberg (Stana) - the wife of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. The doors of the royal palace were wide open for all kinds of crooks and adventurers, such as, for example, the Frenchman Philip (real name Nizier Vashol), who presented the empress with an icon with a bell that should ring when people approached Alexander Fedorovna “with bad intentions” .
But the crown of tsarist mysticism was Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, who was able to completely subjugate the queen, and through her the tsar. “Now it is not the tsar who rules, but the rogue Rasputin,” Bogdanovich noted in February 1912, “all respect for the tsar has disappeared.” The same thought was expressed on August 3, 1916 by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs S.D. Sazonov in an interview with M. Paleolog: "The emperor reigns, but the empress, inspired by Rasputin, rules."
Rasputin [...] quickly recognized all the weaknesses of the royal couple and skillfully used it. Alexandra Fedorovna wrote to her husband in September 1916: “I completely believe in the wisdom of our Friend sent by God to him to advise what you and our country need.” “Listen to Him,” she instructed Nicholas II, “... God sent Him to you as helpers and leaders.” [...]
It came to the point that individual governor-generals, chief prosecutors of the Holy Synod and ministers were appointed and deposed by the tsar on the recommendation of Rasputin, transmitted through the tsarina. On January 20, 1916, on his advice, was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers V.V. Stürmer is “an absolutely unprincipled man and complete insignificance,” as Shulgin described him.
Radzig E.S. Nicholas II in the memoirs of his associates. New and recent history. No. 2, 1999
REFORMS AND CONTRREFORMS
The most promising way for the country to develop through consistent democratic reforms was not possible. Although it was indicated, as if by a dotted line, even under Alexander I, it was subsequently either curved or even interrupted. With the autocratic form of government, which throughout the XIX century. remained unshakable in Russia, the decisive word on any question about the fate of the country belonged to the monarchs. They, at the whim of history, alternated: the reformer Alexander I — the reactionary Nikolai I, the reformer Alexander II — the counter-reformer Alexander III (Nicholas II, who ascended the throne in 1894, also had to go for reforms after the father’s counter-reforms at the beginning of the next century) .
DEVELOPMENT OF RUSSIA IN THE BOARD OF NICHOLAS II
The main performer of all the transformations in the first decade of the reign of Nicholas II (1894-1904) was S.Yu. Witte. A talented financier and statesman, S. Witte, who headed the Ministry of Finance in 1892, promised Alexander III, without political reforms, to make Russia one of the leading industrialized countries in 20 years.
The industrialization policy developed by Witte required significant investment from the budget. One of the sources of capital was the introduction of the state monopoly on wine and vodka products in 1894, which became the main revenue item in the budget.
In 1897, a monetary reform was carried out. Measures to raise taxes, increase gold production, and enter into external loans allowed the issuance of gold coins instead of paper notes, which helped to attract foreign capital to Russia and strengthen the country's monetary system, thanks to which state revenue doubled. Reform of trade and industrial taxation, carried out in 1898, was taxed.
The real result of Witte’s economic policy was the accelerated development of industrial and railway construction. In the period from 1895 to 1899, an average of 3 thousand kilometers of tracks per year were built in the country.
By 1900, Russia came to first place in the world in oil production.
By the end of 1903, 23 thousand factory enterprises were operating in Russia with the number of workers of approximately 2,200 thousand people. Politics S.Yu. Witte gave an impetus to the development of Russian industry, business and industry, and the economy.
According to the project of P.A. Stolypin, the agrarian reform was launched: the peasants were allowed to freely dispose of their land, leave the community and farm. The attempt to abolish the rural community was of great importance for the development of capitalist relations in the countryside.
Chapter 19. The reign of Nicholas II (1894-1917 gg.). Russian history
THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
On the same day, July 29, at the insistence of the chief of the general staff of Yanushkevich, Nicholas II signed a decree on universal mobilization. In the evening, General Dobrorolsky, head of the mobilization department of the general staff, arrived at the building of the main telegraph office in St. Petersburg and personally brought the text of the decree on mobilization for communication to all parts of the empire. It was literally a few minutes before the devices were supposed to begin transmitting telegrams. And suddenly Dobrorolsky was given the order of the king to suspend the transfer of the decree. It turned out that the king received a new telegram from William. In his telegram, the Kaiser again assured that he would try to reach an agreement between Russia and Austria, and asked the Tsar not to impede him with military preparations. After reviewing the telegram, Nikolai informed Sukhomlinov that he was repealing the decree on universal mobilization. The tsar decided to limit himself to partial mobilization directed only against Austria.
Sazonov, Yanushkevich and Sukhomlinov were extremely concerned that Nikolai succumbed to the influence of William. They were afraid that Germany would be ahead of Russia in the concentration and deployment of the army. They met on July 30 in the morning and decided to try to convince the king. Yanushkevich and Sukhomlinov tried to do this by telephone. However, Nikolai dryly announced to Yanushkevich that he was ending the conversation. The general nevertheless managed to inform the king that Sazonov was present in the room, who would also like to say a few words to him. After a pause, the king agreed to listen to the minister. Sazonov requested an audience for an urgent report. Nikolai was silent again, and then offered to come to him at 3 o’clock. Sazonov agreed with his interlocutors that if he convinces the tsar, he will immediately call Yanushkevich from the Peterhof Palace, and he will give the order to the chief telegraph to the duty officer to communicate the decree to all military districts. “After that,” Yanushkevich said, “I’ll leave home, break the phone, generally make it impossible to find me for a new cancellation of the general mobilization.”
For almost an entire hour, Sazonov proved to Nikolai that war was inevitable anyway, since Germany was striving for it, and that under these conditions it was extremely dangerous to linger with general mobilization. In the end, Nikolai agreed. [...] From the lobby, Sazonov called Yanushkevich and informed him of the king’s sanction. “Now you can break your phone,” he added. At 5 pm on July 30, all the apparatuses of the main Petersburg telegraph were knocking. They sent the king’s decree on general mobilization to all military districts. On July 31, in the morning, he became public.
The beginning of the First World War. History of Diplomacy. Volume 2. Edited by V.P. Potemkin. Moscow-Leningrad, 1945
THE BOARD OF NICHOLAS II IN THE ASSESSMENTS OF HISTORIANS
In exile, there was a split among researchers in assessing the personality of the last king. Disputes often took on a sharp character, and the participants in the discussions took opposite positions, from praising the right conservative flank to criticizing the liberals and blackening the left, socialist flank.
The monarchists who worked in exile belonged to S. Oldenburg, N. Markov, I. Solonevich. In the opinion of I. Solonevich: “Nicholas II is a man of“ average ability ”, faithfully and honestly did everything for Russia that He knew what He could. No one else could and could not do more "..." "Left emperors speak of Emperor Nicholas II as mediocrity, right - as an idol, whose talents or mediocrity are not subject to discussion." [...].
An even more right-wing monarchist N. Markov noted: “The sovereign himself was slandered and defiled in the eyes of his people, he could not withstand the evil pressure of all those who seemed to be obliged to strengthen and defend the monarchy in every way” [...].
The largest researcher of the reign of the last Russian Tsar is S. Oldenburg, whose work remains of paramount importance in the 21st century. For any researcher of the Nikolaev period in the history of Russia, it is necessary, in the process of studying this era, to get acquainted with the work of S. Oldenburg "The reign of Emperor Nicholas II." [...].
The left-liberal direction was presented by P. N. Milyukov, who stated in his book “The Second Russian Revolution”: “The concessions of power (Manifesto of October 17, 1905) were not only unable to satisfy society and people because they were insufficient and incomplete. They were insincere and deceitful, and the power that gave them themselves did not for a minute look at them as ceded to them forever and finally ”[...].
The socialist A.F. Kerensky wrote in History of Russia: “The kingdom of Nicholas II was fatal for Russia due to his personal qualities. But in one thing he was pure: having entered the war and having linked the fate of Russia with the fate of the countries allied with it, until the very end, until his martyrdom, he would not make any tempting compromises with Germany [...]. The king carried the burden of power. She burdened him internally ... There was no will to power in him. He kept it by oath and tradition ”[...].
Modern Russian historians have different opinions about the reign of the last Russian Tsar. The same split was observed among researchers of the reign of Nicholas II in exile. Some of them were monarchists, others adhered to liberal views, while others considered themselves supporters of socialism. In our time, the historiography of the reign of Nicholas II can be divided into three areas, such as in emigrant literature. But with reference to the post-Soviet period, clarifications are also needed: modern scholars praising the tsar are not necessarily monarchists, although a certain tendency is certainly present: A. Bokhanov, O. Platonov, V. Multatuli, M. Nazarov.
A. Bokhanov, the largest modern historian on the study of pre-revolutionary Russia, positively assesses the reign of Emperor Nicholas II: “In 1913, peace, order, and prosperity reigned all around. Russia confidently moved forward, no unrest happened. The industry was operating at full capacity, agriculture was developing dynamically, and each year brought ever greater harvests. Welfare grew, and the purchasing power of the population increased from year to year. The rearmament of the army began, a few more years - and Russian military power will become the first force in the world ”[...].
The conservative historian V. Shambarov speaks positively of the last tsar, noting that the tsar was too mild in dealing with his political enemies, who were also enemies of Russia: "Russia was not destroyed by autocratic" despotism ", but rather the weakness and toothlessness of power." Too often the Tsar tried to find a compromise, agree with the liberals so that bloodshed would not occur between the government and part of the people deceived by the liberals and socialists. For this, Nicholas II dismissed devotees of the monarchy, decent, competent ministers, and instead appointed nonprofessionals or secret enemies of the autocratic monarchy, or fraudsters. [...].
In his book “The Leader of the Third Rome” M. Nazarov drew attention to the aspect of the world conspiracy of the financial elite to overthrow the Russian monarchy ... [...] According to the description of Admiral A. Bubnov, the atmosphere of the conspiracy reigned in Stavka. At the decisive moment, in response to Alekseev’s deftly formulated request for abdication, only two generals publicly expressed their loyalty to the Emperor and their readiness to lead their troops to pacify the rebellion (General Khan Nakhichevan and General Count F.A. Keller). The rest welcomed the abdication, wearing red bows. Including future founders of the White Army, generals Alekseev and Kornilov (the latter then had to announce to the imperial family the order of the Provisional Government to arrest her). Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich also violated the oath on March 1, 1917 - even before the abdication of the Tsar and as a means of pressure on him! - removed his military unit (Guard crew) from the protection of the imperial family, appeared under the red flag in the State Duma, provided this headquarters of the Masonic revolution with his guards to guard the arrested imperial ministers and issued an appeal to other troops to "join the new government." “Around cowardice, and treason, and deceit,” - these were the last words in the royal diary on the night of renunciation [...].
Representatives of the old socialist ideology, for example, A.M. Anfimov and E.S. Radzig, on the contrary, negatively assesses the rule of the last Russian Tsar, calling the years of his reign a chain of crimes against the people.
Between two directions - praise and overly harsh, unfair criticism are the works of Ananyich B.V., N.V. Kuznetsov and P. Cherkasov. [...]
P. Cherkasov adheres to the middle in assessing the reign of Nicholas: “From the pages of all the works mentioned in the review appears the tragic personality of the last Russian Tsar - a man of deeply decent and delicate to shyness, an exemplary Christian, a loving husband and father, faithful to his duty and at the same time not outstanding state a figure, a prisoner of once and for all acquired beliefs in the inviolability of the order of things bequeathed to him by the ancestors. He was neither a despot, nor even an executioner of his people, as our official historiography claimed, but he was not a saint during his lifetime, as they sometimes say, although by martyrdom he undoubtedly atoned for all the sins and mistakes of his rule. The drama of Nicholas II as a politician is in his mediocrity, in the discrepancy between the scale of his personality and the challenge of time ”[...].
And finally, there are historians of liberal views, such as K. Shatsillo, A. Utkin. According to the first: “Nicholas II, in contrast to his grandfather Alexander II, not only did not give ripening reforms, but even if the revolutionary movement was tearing them out by force, he stubbornly sought to take back what was given“ at the moment of hesitation ”. All this “drove” the country into a new revolution, made it completely inevitable ... A. Utkin went even further, agreeing to the fact that the Russian government was one of the culprits of the First World War, wanting a clash with Germany. Moreover, the tsarist administration simply did not calculate the strength of Russia: “Criminal pride destroyed Russia. Under no circumstances should she go to war with the industrial champion of the continent. Russia had the opportunity to avoid a fatal conflict with Germany. ”
"Angel Alexander"
The second child of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich and Maria Fedorovna was Alexander. Alas, he died in infancy from meningitis. The death of the “angel of Alexander” after a transient disease was hard experienced by the parents, judging by their diaries. For Maria Fedorovna, the death of her son was the first loss of relatives in her life. Meanwhile, fate prepared for her to survive all her sons.
Alexander Alexandrovich. The only (posthumous) photograph
Handsome George
For some time, the heir to Nicholas II was his younger brother George
As a child, George was healthier and stronger than his older brother Nikolai. He grew up a tall, beautiful, cheerful child. Despite the fact that George was the favorite of his mother, he, like other brothers, was brought up in Spartan conditions. The children slept in army beds, got up at 6 o’clock and took a cold bath. For breakfast, they were usually served porridge and brown bread; for lunch mutton cutlets and roast beef with peas and baked potatoes. Children had at their disposal a living room, a dining room, a playroom and a bedroom, all furnished with the simplest furniture. Only the icon adorned with precious stones and pearls was rich. The family lived mainly in the Gatchina Palace.
Family of Emperor Alexander III (1892). From right to left: George, Ksenia, Olga, Alexander III, Nikolai, Maria Fedorovna, Mikhail
George predicted a career in the Navy, but then the Grand Duke fell ill with tuberculosis. Since the 1890s, George, who became the prince in 1894 (Nikolai did not yet have an heir), lives in the Caucasus, in Georgia. Doctors even forbade him to go to St. Petersburg for his father’s funeral (although he was present at the death of his father in Livadia). George's only joy was his mother's visits. In 1895, they traveled together to relatives in Denmark. There he had another attack. George was bedridden for a long time, until he finally felt better and returned to Abastumani.
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich at the desk. Abastumani. 1890s
In the summer of 1899, George rode a motorcycle from the Zekarsky Pass to Abastumani. Suddenly he had bleeding from his throat, he stopped and fell to the ground. On June 28, 1899, Georgy Alexandrovich passed away. The section revealed: an extreme degree of exhaustion, a chronic tuberculosis process in the period of cavernous decay, pulmonary heart (right ventricular hypertrophy), interstitial nephritis. The news of the death of George was a heavy blow for the entire imperial family, and especially for Maria Fedorovna.
Ksenia Alexandrovna
Ksenia was the mother’s favorite, and she looked like her outwardly. Her first and only love was Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (Sandro), who was friends with her brothers and often visited Gatchina. Ksenia Alexandrovna was “crazy” about a tall, slender brunette, believing that he was the best in the world. She kept her love secret, telling about it only to her older brother, future emperor Nicholas II, a friend of Sandro. Ksenia was a cousin to Alexander Mikhailovich. They married on July 25, 1894, and she bore him a daughter and six sons in the first 13 years of marriage.
Alexander Mikhailovich and Ksenia Alexandrovna, 1894
When visiting her husband abroad, Ksenia visited with him all those places that could be considered “not quite decent” for the tsar’s daughter, even experienced fortune at the gaming table in Monte Carlo. However, the married life of the Grand Duchess did not work out. My husband has new hobbies. Despite seven children, the marriage actually broke up. But Ksenia Alexandrovna did not agree to divorce the Grand Duke. Despite everything, she managed to keep love for the father of her children until the end of her days, sincerely worried about his death in 1933.
It is curious that after the revolution in Russia, George V allowed a relative to settle in a cottage near the Windsor Castle, while her husband Ksenia Alexandrovna was forbidden to appear there because of treason. Other interesting facts include her daughter, Irina, who married Felix Yusupov, the murderer of Rasputin, and a scandalous and shocking person.
Possible Michael II
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was perhaps the most significant for the whole of Russia, except for Nicholas II, the son of Alexander III. Before World War I, after marrying Natalya Sergeyevna Brasova, Mikhail Alexandrovich lived in Europe. The marriage was unequal; moreover, by the time of his conclusion, Natalya Sergeevna was married. The lovers had to get married in the Serbian Orthodox Church in Vienna. Because of this, all the estates of Mikhail Alexandrovich were taken under the control of the emperor.
Mikhail Alexandrovich
Some monarchists called Mikhail Alexandrovich Michael II
With the outbreak of World War I, Nicholas’s brother asked to fight in Russia. As a result, he headed the Native Division in the Caucasus. The wartime was marked by many preparing conspiracies against Nicholas II, but Michael did not participate in any, being faithful to his brother. However, it was the name of Mikhail Alexandrovich that was increasingly mentioned in various political combinations drawn up in the court and political circles of Petrograd, and Mikhail Alexandrovich himself did not take part in the preparation of these plans. A number of contemporaries pointed to the role of the wife of the Grand Duke, who became the center of the "Brasova Salon", who preached liberalism and put forward Mikhail Alexandrovich as the head of the reigning house.
Alexander Alexandrovich with his wife (1867)
The February revolution found Mikhail Alexandrovich in Gatchina. Documents indicate that in the days of the February Revolution, he tried to save the monarchy, but not out of a desire to take the throne himself. On the morning of February 27 (March 12), 1917, he was called by telephone to Petrograd, Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko. Arriving in the capital, Mikhail Alexandrovich met with the Provisional Committee of the Duma. Those persuaded him to essentially legitimize the coup: to become a dictator, dismiss the government and ask his brother to create a responsible ministry. By the end of the day, Mikhail Alexandrovich was persuaded to take power in the most extreme case. Subsequent events will reveal the indecision and inability of Brother Nicholas II to engage in serious politics in an emergency.
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich with his morganatic wife N. M. Brasova. Paris. 1913 year
It is appropriate to recall the characteristic given to Mikhail Alexandrovich by General Mosolov: "He was distinguished by exceptional kindness and credulity." According to the recollections of Colonel Mordvinov, Mikhail Alexandrovich was “a gentle, albeit hot-tempered character. ”He is inclined to succumb to the influence of others ... But in actions that affect the issues of moral duty, he always shows perseverance!”
The last great princess
Olga Alexandrovna lived to 78 years old and died on November 24, 1960. She outlived her older sister Xenia for seven months.
In 1901 she married the Duke of Oldenburg. The marriage was unsuccessful and ended in divorce. Subsequently, Olga Alexandrovna married Nikolai Kulikovsky. After the fall of the Romanov dynasty, she left for Crimea with her mother, husband and children, where they lived in conditions close to house arrest.
Olga Aleksandrovka as Honorary Commander of the 12th Akhtyr Hussar Regiment
She is one of the few Romanovs who survived the October Revolution. She lived in Denmark, then in Canada, survived all the other grandchildren (granddaughters) of Emperor Alexander II. Like her father, Olga Alexandrovna preferred a simple life. Over her life, she painted more than 2000 paintings, the proceeds of the sale of which allowed her to support her family and engage in charity work.
Protopresbyter George Shavelsky remembered her like this:
“The Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna among all persons of the imperial family was distinguished by unusual simplicity, accessibility, and democracy. In his estate of the Voronezh lips. she was completely optimized: she walked around the village huts, nursed peasant children, etc. In St. Petersburg, she often walked, rode in simple cabs, and she loved talking to the latter very much. ”
The imperial couple in a circle of close circle (summer of 1889)
General Alexei Nikolaevich Kuropatkin:
“My next meeting with the led. Princess Olga Alexandrovna was on November 12, 1918 in Crimea, where she lived with her second husband, captain of the hussar regiment Kulikovsky. Then she even more simplified. It would be difficult for anyone who did not know her to believe that she was a great princess. They occupied a small, very poorly furnished house. The Grand Duchess herself nursed her baby, cooked and even washed her laundry. I found her in the garden, where she carried her child in a stroller. Immediately she invited me into the house and there she treated me to tea and her own products: jam and cookies. The simplicity of the situation, bordering on squalor, made it even more cute and attractive. ”
It became interesting - is there a relationship between the growth of the leader of Russia and his affairs, successes.I decided to start with the tsar-emperors of Russia. Wives and other empresses are not considered.
The growth of Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584) 178 cm. The first king of all Russia. This sovereign distinguished himself with a formidable disposition, defiance and capture of Kazan. Astrakhan campaigns. Livonian war. Since 1578, Tsar Ivan the Terrible ceased to execute, in the will of 1579 repented of his deed.
The height of Peter I (the Great (1682-1725) was 201 cm. The rules were quite long by royal standards. He was distinguished by many and positive, brought Russia development and integration into Europe, successfully beat the Swedes. All subsequent sovereigns from the Romanov clan were of different sizes.
Peter II (1727-1730) his growth is unknown, did not rule for long, was invisible.
The growth of Peter III (1761-1762) 170 cm. I didn’t rule for long.
Ivan VI (1740-1741) Growth is unknown, did not rule for long.
The growth of Paul I (1796-1801) 166 cm. Rules 5 years. Short stature, quarrelsome character, arrogant. He loved to play toy soldiers. He was strangled with a scarf.
Growth of Alexander I (1801-1825) - 178 cm. Growth is above average. Enlightened Liberal. In his kingdom, the war with Napoleon Bonoparte was won. In addition, wars with Turkey, Persia, and Sweden were successful. During the reign of Alexander, the territory of the Russian Empire expanded significantly: Eastern and Western Georgia, Mingrelia, Imereti, Guria, Finland, Bessarabia, and most of Poland (forming the Polish kingdom) became Russian citizenship. Died of brain inflammation.
The growth of Nicholas I (1825-1855) - 205 cm. Ruler of tall stature. Ascetic, did not drink or smoke. Soldafon. The defeat of the noble December rebellion. The policy of reactionary anti-liberalism. The first railways. Stabilization and strengthening of the ruble. The defeat of the Polish uprising. Participation in the defeat of the Hungarian uprising. The unsuccessful Crimean War and the loss of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Caucasian war. Persian war. Died of pneumonia.
The growth of Alexander II (1855-1881) 185 cm.Abolition of serfdom. Strengthening the role of the army and the police. During this period, Central Asia, the North Caucasus, the Far East, Bessarabia and Batumi were annexed to Russia. Victory in the Caucasian war. The growth of public discontent. Several assassination attempts. He died as a result of a terrorist act organized by the party "Narodnaya Volya".
The growth of Alexander III (1881-1894) 179 cm. The laws of the empire about the Jews forbidding them to live everywhere except for special “places of settledness”. The era of stagnation. Virtually no wars. In Central Asia, after the annexation of Kazakhstan, the Kokand Khanate, the Bukhara Emirate, the Khiva Khanate, the annexation of Turkmen tribes continued. During the reign of Alexander III, the territory of the Russian Empire increased by 430 thousand square meters. km This ended the expansion of the borders of the Russian Empire. Died of kidney disease.
The growth of Nicholas II (1904-1917) 168 cm. He was indecisive and weak-minded, depended on the German wife and Grigory Rasputin (193 cm). Russia miserably lost under him the war of insular Japan, and Nikolai did not manage to end the imperialist war with the Germans. He was shot by the Bolsheviks with his family.
Then the autocracy ended and power passed into the hands of the Provisional Government. The growth of Alexander Kerensky (1917-1918) is unknown, he did not rule for very long, he did not leave a noticeable mark. Unless he removed the crown from the royal eagles. A typical time worker. He escaped from Russia.
In 1918, the Bolsheviks took power in Russia, and another Soviet countdown began.
The height of V.I. Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet state, was 164-165 cm.He ruled for a short time (1918-1924), but was distinguished by great energy, built the foundations of the USSR and the politics of the party. He died of a serious illness caused by a gunshot wound during the assassination attempt on Kaplan.
The growth of Joseph Stalin was 163-164 cm (according to some reports 175 cm). USSR rules since 1924 and death itself (1953). He was distinguished by a severe character, vindictiveness, perseverance. He continued the work of Lenin, but with some amendments. Under him, the country began to massively increase industrialization, and technical and industrial growth appeared. Quite quickly dealt with political opponents (Trotsky-Zinovievsky bloc: Trotsky - 168 cm, Bukharin - 155 cm)(which Lenin could not afford) and just in case with their families and sympathizers ( the growth of the People’s Commissar of the OGPU of Hendrich Berries 146 cm) Numerous repressions weakened the Workers 'and Peasants' Army, which gave rise to attack the USSR of Hitler Germany ( hitler's height 175 cm) An indicative example of that time is that Stalin refused to exchange his son Jacob for Field Marshal Paulus. Cult of personality. Died after a long, long illness.
The growth of Nikita Khrushchev was 166 cm. He ruled the country from 1953 to 1966. Debunked the cult of personality of Stalin. The Soviet army takes part in the suppression of the Hungarian events of 1956. He loved to sow corn, inspired by the American example, and sowed it even where it could not grow for physiological reasons. The first launch of the satellite and man into space. The shooting of workers Novocherkassk. Firing "case of currency traders". Under Khrushchev, the country began to be massively built as the first multi-story housing, inexpensive and very economical. He was removed from his post by a bunch of dissatisfied colleagues.
The growth of Brezhnev (1966-1982) was 176 cm. The defeat of the Czechoslovak rebellion. The era of stability and stagnation. Persecution of dissidents. Under Brezhnev, the soviet administrative and economic apparatus, together with the party apparatus, reached the limit of corruption. He had many awards, and very much loved to award them. The development of space programs. The war in Afghanistan. The first New Year’s television appeal to the Soviet people. Olympics 80. Soviet aid to developing countries. Under Brezhnev, the country's economic growth peaked and gradually came to naught. Died after a long illness (from old age).
The growth of Yuri Andropov was 182 cm (1983-1984). Chekist. He headed for the fight against corruption. Mass production of records and televisions. A fighter against nationalism, opposition and other activities related to undermining the foundations of the USSR. Strengthening party discipline. I didn’t rule for long. He died of kidney disease that developed after an unsuccessful attempt.
The growth of Konstantin Chernenko (1984-1985) was 178 cm. I didn’t rule for long. Died of old age.
The growth of Mikhail Gorbachev (1985-1991) 175 cm.The first and last President of the USSR. Anti-alcohol policy. Perestroika Minimize the arms race. Democratization and publicity. Dissolution of the USSR.
The growth of Boris Yeltsin (1991-2000) 187 cm. The first President of Russia. The first high-ranking official of the USSR, who voluntarily resigned from the CPSU, having left all leading posts. Acceleration GKChP. The development of democracy and civil liberties. 1st and 2nd war in Chechnya. Acceleration of the Russian parliament. Alcohol addiction. Dependence on the daughter and clan of the oligarchs. He stepped down as president by launching Operation Successor.
The growth of Vladimir Putin (2000-2008) 168-170 cm. The second President of Russia. Chekist. The defeat of the clan of oligarchs. The closure of independent media. The second war in Chechnya. Guided Democracy. Enrichment of close friends and relatives. Kadyrovschina. He resigned as president after 2 terms of office, launching the operation "Tandem".
The growth of Dmitry Medvedev (2008 SD) 162 cm. Third President of Russia. The smallest leader in historical Russia. Lawyer. Victorious war in Georgia. Revolutionary and non-working amendments to the legislation of the Russian Federation. Softening legislation in relation to bribe takers. Depends on Prime Minister Putin. A supporter of nano-technologies, a lover of all new things, iPods and iPhones.
And everyone knows how tall a person will be the next ruler of Russia. Is not it?
The diagram of studying the growth of leaders in centimeters showed the following general civilizational trend - after a period of recession, a period of recovery begins.
So, after the dominance of political kids and dwarfs, some Russian ruler will certainly be high. And who will it be - HZ, i.e. history is still silent))))))
The last Russian emperor loved port, disarmed the planet, raised his stepson and almost moved the capital to Yalta [photo, video]
Photo: RIA Novosti
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Nicholas II ascended the throne on November 2, 1894. What do we all remember about this king? Mostly school cliches stuck in my head: Nikolai was bloody, weak, was strongly influenced by his wife, was to blame for Khodynka, instituted the Duma, dispersed the Duma, and was shot near Yekaterinburg ... Oh yes, he also conducted the first census of the Russian population, recording himself as “land owner” Russian. " Moreover, Rasputin looms on the side with his dubious role in history. In general, the image is such that any student is sure: Nicholas II is almost the most shameful Russian Tsar in all ages. And this despite the fact that from Nikolai and his family there are most of all documents, photographs, letters and diaries. There was even a recording of his voice, rather low. His life has been thoroughly studied, and at the same time, it is almost unknown to the general public beyond the stamps from the textbook. Do you know, for example, that:
1) Nicholas took the throne in the Crimea. There, in Livadia, the royal estate near Yalta, his father Alexander III died. Confused, literally crying from the responsibility that has fallen on him, the young man was how the future king then looked. Mother, Empress Maria Fyodorovna, did not want to swear allegiance to her son! The younger, Mikhail - that is whom she saw on the throne.
2) And since we were talking about Crimea - it was in Yalta that he dreamed of moving the capital from the unloved Petersburg. The sea, the fleet, trade, the proximity of European borders ... But he did not dare, of course.
3) Nicholas II almost passed the throne to his eldest daughter Olga. In 1900 he became ill with typhus (again in Yalta, well, right the fateful city for the family of the last Russian emperor). The king was dying. Since the time of Paul I, the law has prescribed: the throne is inherited only through the male line. However, bypassing this order, we were talking about Olga, who was then 5 years old. The king, however, climbed out, recovered. But the idea of \u200b\u200barranging a coup in favor of Olga, and then marrying her to a suitable candidate, who will begin to rule the country instead of the unpopular Nikolai, this idea for a long time excited the tsar's relatives and pushed them into intrigues.
4) It is rarely said that Nicholas II became the first global peacekeeper. In 1898, upon his submission, a note was issued on the general limitation of armaments and a program for an international peace conference was developed. It was held in May next year in The Hague. 20 European states, 4 Asian, 2 American participated. In the heads of the then advanced intelligentsia of Russia, this act of the tsar simply did not fit. How so, because he is a militarist and imperialist ?! Yes, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe prototype of the UN, of conferences on disarmament originated precisely in Nikolai’s head. And long before the World War.
5) It was Nikolai who completed the Siberian railway. It is still the main artery connecting the country, but for some reason it is not customary to credit this king. Meanwhile, he ranked the Siberian railway as his main task. Nicholas generally foresaw many of the challenges that Russia then had to rake in the 20th century. He spoke, for example, that the population of China is growing astronomically, and this is an occasion to strengthen and develop Siberian cities. (And this at a time when China was called sleeping).
Reforms of Nicholas (monetary, judicial, wine monopoly, the law on the working day) are also rarely mentioned. It is believed that since the reforms were launched in previous reigns, then the merits of Nicholas II seem to be no special. The tsar “only” pulled this strap and complained that “it works as a hard labor”. “Only” led the country to that peak, 1913, according to which then the economy will be checked for a long time to come. He just approved the powers of two famous reformers - Witte and Stolypin. So, 1913: the strongest gold ruble, income from the export of Vologda oil is higher than from gold exports, Russia is the world flagship in the grain trade.
6) Nicholas was like two drops of water like a cousin, the future English king George V. Their mothers are sisters. “Nicky” and “Georgie” were confused even by relatives.
Nicky and Georgie. It looks like they were even confused by relatives
7) Raised foster son and daughter. More precisely, the children of his uncle Pavel Alexandrovich - Dmitry and Maria. Their mother died in childbirth, his father quite soon entered into a new marriage (unequal), and in the end the two little grand dukes were personally raised by Nicholas, they called him “dad”, the empress - “mother”. Dmitry loved as his own son. (This is the same Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich, who then, together with Felix Yusupov, will kill Rasputin, for which he will be exiled, will survive during the revolution, will flee to Europe and even manage to have an affair with Coco Chanel there).
10) I could not stand female singing. He escaped when his wife, Alexandra Fedorovna, or some of her daughters or maids of honor sat down at the piano and started romances. The courtiers recall that at such moments the king complained: "Well, howled ..."
11) I read a lot, especially contemporaries, wrote out a lot of magazines. Most loved Averchenko.
