Rasputin
Firstly, Rasputin was the individual whom much of the hatred of the tsarist regime came to be focused. As Rasputin was semi-literate and uneducated he represented everything the ruling elite were not. Furthermore the fact that he promoted people on the grounds of respect and not on ability meant that he also isolated the working class of Russia. Secondly a quote from Sir B Pares; “Who live in Russia during the war” explains Rasputin’s influence. “We are faced with the strangest of human triangles… Rasputin, the empress and the emperor; set in ascending order of authority and a descending order of influence.” Thirdly, it can be argued that the influence Rasputin had on the Tsarina led to the ultimate fall of the autocracy and the abdication of the Tsar.
MACK
MACK
Rasputin arrived in St Petersburg in 1904 as a Siberian preacher, spiritual advisor and faith healer. His ‘healing abilities’ caught the eye of the Tsarina whose son was suffering with haemophilia. After Rasputin arguably ‘healed’ the Tsarina’s son, he gained her trust and unofficially part of her political responsibility. He became more and more influential to Alexandra’s political decisions and once the Tsar left to fight in the war (September 1915) , this influence grew to a significant level. The German-born Tsarina was already the target of scurrilous rumours that questioned her loyalty to Russia, and the inclusion of Rasputin’s ambiguous presence only intensified public speculation. Rasputin gave Alexandra political advice, up until a point where the Tsarina would consider anything he proposed. Rasputin’s political influence was finally known when he ordered the replacement of ministers, and between Sep 1915 and Feb 1917, Russia went through 4 prime ministers, three war ministers and five interior ministers. Rasputin’s presence grew public detest and he became the focus of tsarist propaganda, which ultimately led to the threat of bringing down the dynasty. As a result, he was assassinated by a conservative clique in December 1916.
LIAM
LIAM