Nikolay 2. Historical portrait of Nicholas 2

The personality of Nicholas 2 seems rather ambiguous. Some accuse him of the collapse of the country, others justify. The beginning of the 20th century for Russia was marked by terrible bloody events, which still affect our lives. But who was the last Russian emperor? What was Nicholas 2? The historical portrait should, to some extent, answer this question.

Education of Nicholas 2

Nicholas 2 received a traditional religious education. The program of his studies included military affairs and, at the behest of his father, the future emperor served in the Preobrazhensky regiment for two years in the rank of junior officer, then in the cavalry hussar regiment and in the artillery. At the same time, he participated in the meetings of the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Council.

Also Nicholas along with his father, Emperor Alexander III, traveled to the Russian provinces. And later he went on a cruiser to Far Eastern travel, for which he managed to visit Egypt, Greece, China, India, Japan. And he returned to the capital by land via Siberia.

Thus, the historical portrait of Nicholas 2 speaks of his outlook, knowledge of several European languages, good knowledge in the field of history and literature. To this knowledge, love for Russia and understanding of responsibility for its fate were added.

The model of the Tsar for Nicholas 2 was Alexei Mikhailovich (1629-1676), a conservative in spirit, who believed that the main thing is to preserve the ancient traditions and autocracy. These ideals became close to the future emperor.

October 20, 1894 Nicholas 2 was proclaimed emperor, his reign was marked by the rapid rise of Russia to prosperity, which ended in a terrible catastrophe.

Personality of Nicholas 2

Historians talk about the remarkable human qualities that Nicholas possessed. 2. The historical portrait, however, illustrates that the emperor, unfortunately, was not endowed with political talents.

He was a polite, clever man, who liked to paste photos into albums, shoot at crows, saw wood and play dominoes. State affairs and public appearances were a heavy burden for him. And he held on only because of the holy belief in the supreme destiny of the monarch and the innate sense of duty.

Nicholas 2 was so delicate that he seemed weak-willed. Stubborn and withdrawn, he was very charming, but avoided resolute answers and conflicts in every possible way. This created him in politics a reputation as an unreliable and evasive partner. Also, he was unduly exposed to the influences of his wife, whom he sincerely loved.

The emperor's rule shook the people's faith in a just and wise king. The historical portrait of Nicholas 2 can be briefly described as a heavy burden for the Tsar himself and for his people.

Gold coins of Nicholas 2

Nicholas 2, becoming the emperor, returned the tradition of minting on all coins a portrait of the monarch. During his reign, jubilee and commemorative coins were often issued. Many of them entered the history of numismatics and are now highly valued.

But more interesting is the gold coins of Nicholas 2. The emperor made a monetary reform, during which the weight of coins was reduced. Moreover, Nicholas 2 had an idea to rename the national currency from "rubles" to "Rus". Even five sets were made, containing coins with a nominal value of 5, 10 and 15 Russ. But the emperor never approved this law.

Awards of the Nicholas II era

The medals of Nicholas 2 became very popular. There were about forty varieties of them. Nicholas 2 was famous for the establishment of mass awards for distinctions in the state military or civil service.

Medals could be worn around the neck, chest or special ribbons. The highest award was a gold medal for cervical wearing on the St. Andrew's ribbon.

The Last Romanovs

Nicholas 2 loved his family and gave her a lot of time. The Emperor married for love. Hessian Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt (or Alexandra Feodorovna after baptism) spoke very poorly in Russian. Nicholas 2 himself taught her language, gradually introducing to the religious traditions of pre-Petrine Russia.

In the royal family, there were five children: a son - Alexei, heir to the throne, and four girls. Daughters of Nicholas 2 (Olga, Tatiana, Anastasia and Maria) received a good all-round education. But not everything was good with the Tsar's only son. The boy received a hereditary disease from his mother - hemophilia.

"Bloody Sunday" and the events that followed

January 9, 1905 went down in history as "Bloody Sunday". On this day, a peaceful demonstration of workers, who wanted to directly appeal to the tsar, was shot. Nicholas 2, instead of coming out to the people, accepting the petition and declaring himself as the defender of the people, left for Tsarskoe Selo, leaving the Petersburg authorities to deal with what is happening. The result was a bloodbath. This event finally destroyed the faith of the Russian people in monarchical power.

From this moment, the country was overwhelmed by revolutionary sentiments. The historical portrait of Nicholas II speaks of him as a man who missed a chance to realize his dream and become a king, one with the people. After the January events, it became impossible to restore the people's trust.

The result of these events was the adoption on October 17 of the same year of the Manifesto, which provided the population with a number of democratic rights, and gave the Duma, the institution of which was announced a little earlier, with a legislative initiative. This document saved the royal family from the deposition, although Nicholas II later regretted his acceptance.

After the adoption of the Manifesto, the tense situation in the country was depleted, the opposition split, many considered it the beginning of serious reforms. But Nicholas 2 was dissatisfied with too large, in his opinion, the powers of the Duma.

The events of the First World War

Consider the historical portrait of Nicholas 2 briefly in the war period.

The events of the First World War revealed the huge shortcomings of the tsarist system and the need for big reforms. First of all, it concerned the political aspect.

The military affairs were much better. By the summer of 1915 supplies had been established, and the situation at the front had become more specific and understandable. And in 1916, Russia captured most of the territories in comparison with its allies. These victories the Russian army owes much to Brusilov.

The historical portrait of Nicholas II in connection with these events becomes impartial. The Emperor unsuccessfully tried to assume the duties of prime minister. This led to the fact that state institutions were without control, in fact, over them there was no one to take power.

The Revolution of 1917

The fate of Nicholas II was sealed. Although after the troubles of 1905-1907, the country began to develop rapidly, outstripping allies and enemies. But the place of solved problems became new.

Gradually, the rural community began to separate, at the end dividing into two unequal parts: a small portion of well-off masters and the rest of the impoverished peasantry. Those who could no longer feed themselves, had to go to work in factories where the working conditions were inhumanly heavy.

The split of the society was growing. Social tension was caused by a sharp contrast between a small group of nobility living in abundance, and a huge mass of barely surviving people. The peasants hated their landowners, the workers-entrepreneurs. Against this background, the intelligentsia was ready to support any democratic opposition movement, if only to change the state structure on the European model.

Already in 1912, when the workers were shot at the Lena goldfields, the inevitability of the revolution became palpable. Then, on the eve of the celebration of the tercentenary of the Romanovs 'house (1913), workers' strikes swept the country. The next year the number of strikers only increased. Participation in the First World War only aggravated the situation.

Could not cope with the situation. Nicholas 2. The historical portrait draws him a man who wished to delay the adoption of important decisions - this was one of the reasons why Russia got involved in the war. The Emperor hoped for victory, after which the people again believe in him. But the first defeats led to new outbursts of discontent.

On February 23, the emperor went to the commander-in-chief in Mogilev, when unrest swept through Petrograd, and government agencies were paralyzed. The end of the Russian Empire began. Attempts to stop the performances by force did not lead to anything.

On March 2, 1917, Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother Mikhail. The further life of the royal family was held under house arrest.

The execution of the royal family

His family cherished the most Nicholas 2. Historical portrait reveals his love for his wife and children. He was faithful to them and betrayed to the last.

After an unsuccessful attempt to condemn Nicholas 2 Romanov family from Tsarskoe Selo were transported to Tobolsk, and then to Ekaterinburg. It was here in the mansion of Ipatiev in the night from July 16 to July 17, 1918, the royal family was shot.

Conclusion

There were many opinions both among contemporaries and historians about what it was, the last emperor of the Russian Empire, Nicholas 2. The historical portrait against the background of the era looms very ambiguous. Some spoke of him as a clever man, others on the contrary, argued that the emperor was not wise in his mind. They talked about the clarity of his judgments, but immediately added that the Emperor completely does not see prospects. One thing is certain, Nicholas 2, unfortunately, was not endowed with the talent of a statesman and a good politician.