Nicholas_Ii_as_an_Autocrat

Born may 1968 Father was Alexander III Succeeded the throne to tsar on the 20th October 1894 (26 y.o.) after his father died of liver disease. Political When he succeeded his father, he had very little experience of government. Nicholas felt he was not ready to rule. He knew the weighty task of ruling Russia was greater than his experience and abilities. Yet he believed, even with all his inadequacies and self-doubt, that God had chosen his destiny. Nicholas concluded that on earth he could trust few people. Bullied and misled by his relatives he increasingly turned to his wife for support. Nicholas became cynical and mistrustful of human nature. Loneliness and isolation would be his lot in life. A cultural nationalist, Nicholas was opposed to the Westernization of Russia. Nicholas II and Alexandra disliked St. Petersburg as it was too modern so he moved to the country. Although he described himself as a man of peace, he favoured an expanded Russian Empire. Nicholas was a hard worker and diligent about state business, although his accomplishments where severely limited by his tendency to focus on detail rather than the big picture. He was uncertain of his own opinions on things and felt asking for advice to be a sign of weakness or hesitancy. Therefore he tried to follow his own 'instincts' which were limited by his experience and narrow upbringing. Assessment Though lauded for his admirable personal qualities, as an absolute autocrat Nicholas has been deemed a failure. He found it impossible to reconcile his own strict views of what was right and wrong for Russia with the responsibility of a modern monarch to compromise his own views for the good of the nation. Not an unintelligent man, but hesitant to draw his own conclusions, Nicholas vacillated on important issues. Lacking political savvy and instinct, he was seldom sure how to handle the affairs of state. This made him come across as weak and contradictory to his ministers. They found it difficult to read his true thoughts and found it hard to follow his leadership. Although it has been strongly argued by others, Nicholas' political decisions were not dominated by his wife, Aleksandra. He made up his own mind and the fact that they agreed on so many points only indicates the closeness of their political instincts concerning Russia. Wife and Family In October 1894 he married the German Princess Alexandra. She was the dominant personality in the relationship. She believed in autocratic power and urged Nic to resist demands for political reform. Alexandra was the dominant personality in their relationship and encouraged the weaker Nicholas's autocratic tendencies. He mistrusted most of his ministers and yet was incapable of carrying out the task of ruling the vast Russian empire alone. They had four daughters and a son, Alexis, who suffered from the disease haemophilia. Early Years and Education A powerful cordon of secret police and military guards protected them, but this meant Nicholas grew up in the isolation of his family. This held him back and he was late in maturing. He never gained a sense of confidence and self reliance. The lack of friends from outside the clan of European royalty deprived Nicholas of the benefit of understanding the way his future subjects lived. In this he was no different than most of his royal peers. But Nicholas was also purposely cut off from liberal thought and ideas by his parents. Since he had almost no contact with Russia's growing intellectual and artistic community he developed narrow ideas of honour, service and tradition which would harm his ability to govern Russia in the future. Enjoyed being in the army where he made his first friends Personality Nicholas was a deeply religious and generally solitary person, who loved the faithful companionship of his dogs to the company of state ministers. Nicholas was intensely private and abhorred being touched by strangers, though he wasn't standoffish. People found him extremely affable and kindly in nature.