How far could the historian make use of the sources together to investigate the role of Rasputin and the Tsarina in the fall of the Tsar?
Source A From le,ers wri,en by the Tsarina Alexandra to her husband Tsar Nicholas II in September and November 1915.
Gregory* did beg you to name Protopopov as Minster of the Interior. You had such a good impression of Protopopov. He happens to belong to
the Duma (and he is not on the poli@cal leA) and so will know how to deal with them. God bless your new choice of Protopopov – our Friend*
says you have done
a very wise act in naming him. I must give you a message from our Friend, prompted by what he saw in the night. He begs you to order the
army to advance near Riga. He says it is necessary, otherwise the Germans will seIle down firmly for the winter and it will cost endless
bloodshed and trouble to make them move.
* Gregory/our Friend = references to Raspu@n
Source B Michael Rodzianko, the President of the Duma, later wrote about the role of RaspuJn during the First World War in his book, The
Fall of the Empire (1973).
Profi@ng by the Tsar's arrival at Tsarskoe I asked for an audience and was received by him on March 8th. "I must tell Your Majesty that this
cannot con@nue much longer. No one opens your eyes to the true role which this man (Raspu@n) is playing. His presence in Your Majesty's
Court undermines confidence in the Supreme Power and may have an evil effect on the fate of the dynasty and turn the hearts of the people
from their Emperor". My report did some good. On March 11th an order was issued sending Raspu@n to Tobolsk; but a few days later, at the
demand of the Empress, the order was cancelled.
, Content: Posi+ves Inference Contextual / own knowledge
Source A “Gregory did beg you to The Tsarina and RaspuFn have significant roles on the Home Front and sFll It is accurate:
name Protopopov as manage to send advice to Nicholas on the Western Front. They are involved in ARer the Great Retreat in 1915, Nicholas leR for the
Minister of the Interior” poliFcal and military decisions. Thus, they could be made responsible for the Western Front, leaving RaspuFn and Tsarina to take
“He begs you to order the poliFcal instability at the Fme, due to ‘ministerial leapfrog’ and the many control of the government decisions, increasing their
army to advance near Riga” military failures. Both failures at governance were blamed on the Tsar which influence.
contributed to his lack of support for the Tsarist regime. An historian could infer
that the two figures had a role in the Tsarist government and thus contributed to RaspuFn heavily influenced the Tsarina because she
the failures of the government, which were aimed at the Tsar himself. - losing believed he could cure her sons (the heirs)
support from peasants/workers haemophilia.
Source B “His presence...undermines This sources focuses on the image of the Tsar. The idea that the actual presence
Tsarina was conservaFve - so her advise would be
confidence in the Supreme of RaspuFn damaged the reputaFon of the royal family in the eyes of the
poliFcally opposed to the liberals in the Duma (and
Power and may have an evil nobility. A historian could infer, that by keeping RaspuFn as a close advisor, the
the moderates). - which would alienate the Tsar from
effect on the fate of the nobility would be disillusioned with the Tsar and loose confidence in his ability to
all support among poliFcal parFes
dynasty” lead. Furthermore, it is suggested that the Tsar ignored he advice of the
President of the Duma and other advisers. This can be useful in showing that the
RaspuFn’s private life was promiscuous and not
Tsar ruled autocraFcally and saw the Duma as a purely advisory body.
supported by many of the nobility who regarded the
-losing support from nobility
royal family as pure
Combining The two sources together are useful in showing that the Tsarina and RaspuFn increased their influence over poliFcal and military decisions. They were both dominant
sources in the Tsar’s government which means that they did play a role in the failures and eventual downfall of the Tsar. Source A displays accurately how the Tsarina and
RaspuFn decreased support from the workers and peasants, whilst Source B shows how they decreased popularity for the Tsar among the nobility. Thus, together they
are comprehensive and show the full scale to which they decreased confidence in the Tsar.
Content: Limita+ons
Source A “Your new choice of This source does show RaspuFn and Tsarina as a purely advisory body and in the The Tsar was a poor leader and took the advice of his
Protopopov” end the Tsar did make the poliFcal decisions and did not always take what wife of advisors, which angered the Duma and the
Alexandra and RaspuFn said. However, it is limited by its lack of focus on the leR.
Tsar’s role in governing which downplays the responsibility he holds for being a
family man and taking the advice of his wife over that of his advisors/ It is not comprehensive - as it does not show the fact
government or the Duma. Thus, the source is not as comprehensive in that RaspuFn and Tsarina had a short period of
suggesFng the other factors that contributed to the fall of the Tsar. increasing power but the Tsar sFll controlled poliFcal
decisions such as selecFng ministers. So he is to
Source B “But a few days later, at the This source makes RaspuFn out to be the true source of influence and failure of
blame more than than Tsarina and RaspuFn.
demand of the Empress, the the regime and does not shed any light on the Tsar’s role or criFcise his
order was cancelled” governance. This limits its usefulness like Source A because it states that the
The Tsar’s poliFcal role was sFll very much acFve so
Tsarina caused the order to be cancelled but the tsar could have asserted himself
ulFmately decisions were sFll down to him.
and made a be]er decision. This does show the typical viewpoint of a member
of the nobility (blaming RaspuFn for all the problems and not the Tsar) but is not
accurate.
Source A From le,ers wri,en by the Tsarina Alexandra to her husband Tsar Nicholas II in September and November 1915.
Gregory* did beg you to name Protopopov as Minster of the Interior. You had such a good impression of Protopopov. He happens to belong to
the Duma (and he is not on the poli@cal leA) and so will know how to deal with them. God bless your new choice of Protopopov – our Friend*
says you have done
a very wise act in naming him. I must give you a message from our Friend, prompted by what he saw in the night. He begs you to order the
army to advance near Riga. He says it is necessary, otherwise the Germans will seIle down firmly for the winter and it will cost endless
bloodshed and trouble to make them move.
* Gregory/our Friend = references to Raspu@n
Source B Michael Rodzianko, the President of the Duma, later wrote about the role of RaspuJn during the First World War in his book, The
Fall of the Empire (1973).
Profi@ng by the Tsar's arrival at Tsarskoe I asked for an audience and was received by him on March 8th. "I must tell Your Majesty that this
cannot con@nue much longer. No one opens your eyes to the true role which this man (Raspu@n) is playing. His presence in Your Majesty's
Court undermines confidence in the Supreme Power and may have an evil effect on the fate of the dynasty and turn the hearts of the people
from their Emperor". My report did some good. On March 11th an order was issued sending Raspu@n to Tobolsk; but a few days later, at the
demand of the Empress, the order was cancelled.
, Content: Posi+ves Inference Contextual / own knowledge
Source A “Gregory did beg you to The Tsarina and RaspuFn have significant roles on the Home Front and sFll It is accurate:
name Protopopov as manage to send advice to Nicholas on the Western Front. They are involved in ARer the Great Retreat in 1915, Nicholas leR for the
Minister of the Interior” poliFcal and military decisions. Thus, they could be made responsible for the Western Front, leaving RaspuFn and Tsarina to take
“He begs you to order the poliFcal instability at the Fme, due to ‘ministerial leapfrog’ and the many control of the government decisions, increasing their
army to advance near Riga” military failures. Both failures at governance were blamed on the Tsar which influence.
contributed to his lack of support for the Tsarist regime. An historian could infer
that the two figures had a role in the Tsarist government and thus contributed to RaspuFn heavily influenced the Tsarina because she
the failures of the government, which were aimed at the Tsar himself. - losing believed he could cure her sons (the heirs)
support from peasants/workers haemophilia.
Source B “His presence...undermines This sources focuses on the image of the Tsar. The idea that the actual presence
Tsarina was conservaFve - so her advise would be
confidence in the Supreme of RaspuFn damaged the reputaFon of the royal family in the eyes of the
poliFcally opposed to the liberals in the Duma (and
Power and may have an evil nobility. A historian could infer, that by keeping RaspuFn as a close advisor, the
the moderates). - which would alienate the Tsar from
effect on the fate of the nobility would be disillusioned with the Tsar and loose confidence in his ability to
all support among poliFcal parFes
dynasty” lead. Furthermore, it is suggested that the Tsar ignored he advice of the
President of the Duma and other advisers. This can be useful in showing that the
RaspuFn’s private life was promiscuous and not
Tsar ruled autocraFcally and saw the Duma as a purely advisory body.
supported by many of the nobility who regarded the
-losing support from nobility
royal family as pure
Combining The two sources together are useful in showing that the Tsarina and RaspuFn increased their influence over poliFcal and military decisions. They were both dominant
sources in the Tsar’s government which means that they did play a role in the failures and eventual downfall of the Tsar. Source A displays accurately how the Tsarina and
RaspuFn decreased support from the workers and peasants, whilst Source B shows how they decreased popularity for the Tsar among the nobility. Thus, together they
are comprehensive and show the full scale to which they decreased confidence in the Tsar.
Content: Limita+ons
Source A “Your new choice of This source does show RaspuFn and Tsarina as a purely advisory body and in the The Tsar was a poor leader and took the advice of his
Protopopov” end the Tsar did make the poliFcal decisions and did not always take what wife of advisors, which angered the Duma and the
Alexandra and RaspuFn said. However, it is limited by its lack of focus on the leR.
Tsar’s role in governing which downplays the responsibility he holds for being a
family man and taking the advice of his wife over that of his advisors/ It is not comprehensive - as it does not show the fact
government or the Duma. Thus, the source is not as comprehensive in that RaspuFn and Tsarina had a short period of
suggesFng the other factors that contributed to the fall of the Tsar. increasing power but the Tsar sFll controlled poliFcal
decisions such as selecFng ministers. So he is to
Source B “But a few days later, at the This source makes RaspuFn out to be the true source of influence and failure of
blame more than than Tsarina and RaspuFn.
demand of the Empress, the the regime and does not shed any light on the Tsar’s role or criFcise his
order was cancelled” governance. This limits its usefulness like Source A because it states that the
The Tsar’s poliFcal role was sFll very much acFve so
Tsarina caused the order to be cancelled but the tsar could have asserted himself
ulFmately decisions were sFll down to him.
and made a be]er decision. This does show the typical viewpoint of a member
of the nobility (blaming RaspuFn for all the problems and not the Tsar) but is not
accurate.
