The Emperor Who Didn't Want to be Emperor - Nikolai the 2nd

 In 1914 World War I, in which Russia participated, started. In 1917 the Bolshevik (Communist) revolution broke out. It’s obvious that in these times, a strong, determined leader should lead Russia.

 Well, not so much.

 “What will I do? I’m not ready to be a Tsar. I never wanted to be a Tsar. I don’t know anything about the government business”.

That’s what Nikolai the 2nd, the emperor of the Russian Empire (a Tsar, as they say in Russian), said when he was appointed.

 To his sister he said:

“I don’t know anything. The deceased emperor didn’t predict his death and didn’t involve me in the regime”.

 The deceased emperor, of course, was his father. In such a class based period, before democracy exacerbated even as an idea (especially in this part of Europe), Tsarism was inherited. Unlike today, the monarchs were the actual governors. Nikolai needed to manage an empire entangled in wars in Asia, with economic and industrial development which led to growing gaps in social classes and financial issues, His father, Tzar Alexander the 3rd, was a powerful, strong leader. He had charisma and presence, and took the emperor’s power and increased it. He made the role more centralized, an almost military regime. Alexander gave his children a happy, safe childhood, but almost didn’t expose them to the outside world. When the foreign minister suggested to let Nikolai a role at the railroad committee, his dad said: “He’s just a boy. His opinions are totally childish. How could he chair a committee like this?”

He didn’t think that he’d die at age 49, when his oldest is 26 and not at all ready to lead such a complex empire.

The Romanov family in Nikolai's childhood, to his father's left

And so, in its most turbulent and significant times, Russia was led by a Tsar who wanted to preserve the power of Tsarism, but didn’t know how. Nikolai held on to the traditional belief the Tsar’s right of power was divine, in order to justify his centralized regime. Maybe that’s what gave him the confidence he so gravely needed. He didn’t trust his ministers and advisers, maybe because of the same lack of confidence and feelings of inferiority. He tried to keep the centralized regime at any price, conflicting with his probably much more sophisticated advisers.

 Nikolai ruled at a time when modernization started to hit Russia, and citizens went out to the streets and demanded a change in government and rights. The communist revolution was coming. Nikolai faced his citizens’ demands with stubborness and police oppression. He didn’t know how to rule and didn’t want the job, and in order to preserve his power he continued in his father’s tough and centralized ways - but without the personal abilities. His decisions often seemed arbitrary; he decided on creating an alliance with Germany, even though Russia was already allied with France - a diplomatic move that was against the opinions of all politicians around him. He was interested in foreign relations, and was the first Tzar interested in Asia, building the trans siberian train.

Unfortunately for him, he neglected his home: all these attempts to preserve absolute power didn’t fit the changing reality and growing protests. He was eventually convinced to establish an advisory body, a parliament, called Duma, with the advice of his prime minister Witte. But he didn’t respect the cooperation such body demanded of him, fired Witte, and tried to continue the Tsar’s autocracy. He practiced the same disrespect with Stolypin, Witte’s substitute. When World War I burst out in 1914, the gaps between the government and citizens were so great, that even a war couldn’t draw the people closer to the Tsar. With the encouragement of his wife Alexandra, Nikolai expelled the army’s chief, even though he didn’t have any military experience himself. While Nikolai was busy with the war, Alexandra became the acting ruler.

 The regime’s opposers started to plot his removal. Nikolai stayed blind to everything that was happening around him. In March 1917 riots broke; Nikolai, as usual, demanded police oppression. This time, it didn’t work. The government resigned, the Duma called for Nikolai’s resignation. He eventually did, and gave the role to his brother, which declined the nomination. He ran to Siberia, and that’s when he was doomed. His bitter end was at age 50, in 1918, when he and his family were murdered by communist revolutionaries, making him the last Russian emperor.

 What did Nikolai do well? like in his childhood, he felt best with his family. He married a princess, as was customary then, Alexandra princess of Hessen (in today’s Germany), who grew up in Britain. But it wasn’t an arranged marriage; they fell in love when she visited Russia, and insisted on marrying even though their parents preferred other matches. They had five children, and were a close, loving family unit.

 All throughout his governance he tried to prove the opposite, but young orphaned Nikolai was right. He knew how to be a family man, but the role that was forced on him brought his family and his dynasty to its end. He may have not known how to use his powers, but he did know how to acknowledge his weaknesses, and that’s also an important quality. In a different, more equal world, he may have been able to say no, wasn’t required to do so much just because of his family and status. Such an unequal society hurts the weaker people the most, that’s for sure. But at least by this story, it seems that inequality hurts everyone - when society is so based on class, apparently also the strong ones can lose from the system.

Nikolai, Alexandra and their children

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