【The fall of the Empire】 How did Romanov dynasty end?

Japanese / 日本語

Today, in the 21st century, very few countries still have a monarchy. Still, until about 100 years ago, many nations adopted a monarchical system, with a king or an emperor ruling as head of a country. Did you know that Russia was one of them, right next to Japan? In this article, we will explore the causes of the fall of the Romanov dynasty, the last dynasty in Russian history, which collapsed precisely 105 years ago!

1. WHAT IS ROMANOV DYNASTY?
2. The fall of the empire
3. References

WHAT IS ROMANOV DYNASTY?

The Romanov dynasty was a Russian dynasty founded by Mikhail Romanov of the Romanov family, who ruled Russia for generations as sovereign of the Russian Empire (1613 – 1917). In the early years of the Russian Empire, it led only as far as central Siberia (around current Novosibirsk).

Still, through the Siberian Expedition and the achievements of the 18th century reigning Empress Ekaterina II, the Russian Empire acquired the Crimean Peninsula and parts of Poland. It was able to obtain a fairly the Russian Empire succeeded in gaining a reasonably large area.

The fall of the empire

In 1918, Nicholas II of the Romanov family was executed by the Soviets, bringing an end to the 300-year-long Romanov dynasty and establishing the Soviet Union (USSR).

There have been many regicides in history, such as those of Charles I and Louis XVI. Still, the execution of a monarch and his entire family was highly unusual in history. Moreover, the execution of Nicholas II was an unprecedented event in history. The missing bodies of Nicholas II and his family were kept secret for about 70 years until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

So what were exactly the decisive causes that led to the execution and the fall of the empire?

In exploring the causes of the fall of the Romanov dynasty, it is necessary to note that the Romanov dynasty was an absolute monarchy (Tsarism). Under tsarism, the ruler might say:

“I DO RULE THIS COUNTRY! WHAT I SAY IS ABSOLUTE!!”

The monarch is a system in which the monarch rules the country dogmatically. Successive Russian emperors held great power to lead the country and severely restricted the rights of the people.

For example, it was not until 1905, following the Russian Revolution, that Duma (the Russian assembly) was established. Until then, tyranny by the tsar had continued. Tsuneyuki Dohi, a Japanese historian, explains how much trust the public had placed in the tsars over the years.

　　There was ‘confidence’ in the public’s support for the traditional ‘good tsar’ that realized ‘justice beyond the law’ and ‘mercy’

Tsuneyuki Dohi (2005) “Romanov Revived（Yomigaeru Romanohuke）” Kodansha

But Russo-Japanese War (1904) and WWI (1914) changed it.
The subsequent wars economically exhausted Russia, which led to a series of popular revolutions, making people increasingly dissatisfied with the tsar’s authoritarian rule. Regardless of how much her people trusted their emperors, there was still only so much that tsarist regime had its limits.

Against this background, Nicholas II was forced to abdicate the throne. Still, even after his abdication, he was placed under house arrest by the Russian Provisional Government and executed a year later. The philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev made this assessment of the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

　　It was not February Revolution but Russian tsarism that did bring down itself. Nobody was left to uphold or support tsarism.

shigeru ueda (1998) “The last russian emperor (Saigo no rosia kotei)” chikuma shobo

As a result of this ‘overconfidence’ in traditional tyranny, Nicholas II lost popular support. He brought ruin to the tsar’s own position. Now, we can conclude that the decisive cause of the Romanov dynasty’s downfall was its rule system.

References

・Tsuneyuki Dohi (2005) “Romanov Revived（Yomigaeru Romanohuke）” Kōdansha

・Shigeru Ueda (1998) “The last Russian Emperor (Saigo NO Rosia Kotei)” Chikuma Shobō