Preliminary
Lesson plan
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
The Revolution spreads
October Manifesto
The Dumas
Stolypins reforms
Nicholas & Rasputin
World War I
Conclusion
Web Wiz
Nicholas and Rasputin
One of Nicholas' advisers after the death of Stolypin caused great concern among many Russians. Gregory Rasputin was a peasant born in Siberia who arrived in St Petersburg as a holy man in 1903. He had a reputation as a healer and it was in this capacity that he was introduced to the Tsar and his family. The Tsar's only son has a serious blood disorder called haemophilia (this meant his blood did not clot properly so that if he cut himself there was no way to stop the bleeding). In 1905 Rasputin was introduced to the Tsar's family and it seemed that he was able to ease the young prince's suffering. Because of this he became a trusted friend of the royal family. Alexandra in particular became fascinated by him and would not believe anything against him.
However Rasputin also had a reputation as a drunk and womaniser. He had many affairs, sometimes with ladies of the royal court. After 1911 revolutionaries began to circulate rumours that the Tsarina Alexandra was having an affair with Rasputin, although this has never been proved. Alexandra was not popular with the Russian people and when World War I broke out she, as a German, became even more unpopular. Also after 1911 Rasputin's influence over the royal family grew stronger. In time, Rasputin came to have influence over not only the royal family's private lives but the political life of Russian as well. When Nicholas left St Petersburg for the Eastern Front in 1916 he left control of the government to his wife. She turned to Rasputin for advice even on the appointment of ministers and on military matters. So the country was being run by the 'mad monk' and the 'German spy'. Naturally Rasputin made many enemies, and eventually he was assassinated by a group of noblemen in 1916.
That Rasputin was ever able to gain such influence shows how removed Nicholas had become from the needs of his people and from political reality.
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Exercise 1
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