NICHOLAS II AS AN AUTOCRAT
Nicholas II ruled as a strict autocrat, which led to deep dissatisfaction among the people and started the decline of the Romanov dynasty. In Russia, autocracy not only meant there was a monarch, but that this monarch had ‘the divine right of kings’ meaning their power came directly from God and was thus indisputable. Nicholas II swore to uphold the autocracy as his father had before him, despite the old-fashioned values and foundations of this system that conflicted with the much needed change Russia faced at the beginning of the 20th century. Furthermore, the autocratic system meant that until 1906 there was no Duma or other parliamentary system in place. Even after its introduction, Nicholas still had complete power to overrule and control it, defeating the entire purpose of the Duma and reducing them to be entirely symbolic. Alexandra, his wife, was also a firm believer in autocracy as it would secure a future title for her son and his power, and thus Nicholas’ ruling style became even more autocratic under her influence. While the autocratic system was popular among the ruling class, it allowed no room for change, development or modernisation. This was greatly harmful to the majority of people who were peasants or working class who remained supressed under autocracy. The unpopularity of Nicholas as an autocrat led to deep dissatisfaction within the society of both him and the system; and thus, the decline of the Romanov dynasty began.
CLICK ON EITHER IMAGE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK...
CLICK ON EITHER IMAGE TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK...