Exam (elaborations)
Essay Plan - To what extent were Tsarina Alexandra and Rasputin responsible for the declining confidence in the Tsarist rule in the years 1914-17?
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To what extent were Tsarina Alexandra and Rasputin responsible for the decliningconfidence in the Tsarist rule in the years 1914-17?
Criteria
Factors
Specific Detail
Analysis
Limitations
Relative Importance
Judgment
Paragraph 1 - Tsarina and Rasputin
1. Social - the Tsarina was unpopular
Tsarina was German (Russia in a war with Germany) and she was already unpopular because of
her control over Nicholas - she was ultra-conservative and withdrawn
The Tsar rejected many liberal ideas put forward by the Duma and the Tsarina was behind this.
She was seen as a significant influence over the decisions that the Tsar made. Thus, her beliefs
had a direct impact on the image of the Tsar and his political failures were caused by her.
Unpopularity = instability and lack of support (confidence from nobility/peasants/workers)
2. Social - Rasputin was unpopular
Rasputin was disliked by the nobility and the upper class that were closer to the Tsar because he
was promiscuous - leading to rumours that tainted the royal family. He had power of the Tsarina
because she believed he could heal her son (the heirs) haemophilia. Thus, he was influencing the
Tsarina through spirituality and religion which had a knock on effect onto how the Tsar acted.
Furthermore, Rasputin became a symbol for the governments corrupt nature, fuelling
revolutionary propaganda.
In actuality, the Tsar was not influenced by Rasputin as heavily as the Tsarina, meaning Rasputin
had less of a political rule and more of a social role which led to a declining confidence in the
Tsarist rule from the elite. This still had an impact on the Tsar’s image.
3. Political - 1915 The Great Retreat
Their unpopularity was highlighted when the Tsar left Petrograd for the Western Front in
September 1915, leaving the Tsarina and Rasputin to handle domestic affairs. This led to
‘ministerial leapfrog’ where the ministerial positions were changed often, with three changes in
Chief, Interior, Justice and Foreign Ministers. There was little political stability and no long term
policies which would have helped to improve the economy or state of the army. Therefore, all the
discontent from poor living and rising prices on the Home Front was directed at them, which in
turn decreased support and confidence for the Tsar.
However, the Tsarina and Rasputin did not have as much power as was expected. The Tsar’s
position on the Western Front was largely symbolic and he still engaged in many political affairs
(appointing ministers being one of them).
The Tsarina and Rasputin were used as symbols for an outdated regime and corrupt government
by the left-wing opposition. They were influential in decreasing confidence in the Tsar from the
nobility during a short period of time. However, they were not a long term factor and their effect on
decreasing support was on the already conservative nobility and thus they had less responsibility
for the decline of the regime and rise of revolutionary ideas during 1914-17. The discontent
targeted at them was actually a result of the worsening economy and the overall impact of WW1
on the peasants and workers, who tended to be more violent and create disorder.
Paragraph 2 - WW1 - economy
1. Munitions Crisis 1915
Due the poor preparation for the war, there was decreasing equipment supplied to soldiers. The
government failed to stockpile munitions. Russian industry’s could only produce 27000 rifles but
100,000 were needed each month. Soldiers were directly impacted by this and they felt they were
not being supported by the country they were fighting for. As a result, the soldiers lost confidence
in the Tsar and were becoming less loyal and more likely to surrender or desert the battlefield,
leading to military failures (like the Great Retreat). Furthermore, the munitions crisis disillusioned
women, children and old people on the Home Front, who had to work harder to make up for the
work men would have been doing. There was widespread discontent and decreasing confidence
in the Tsarist regime and many did not want to participate in the war effort.
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