After the 1905 revolution, the Tsar agreed to establish a Parliament, the Duma, but he did not choose to nurture or work with it, losing a significant opportunity. As the social situation worsened, he remained studiously unaware of what should be done to protect Russian institutions and his office. Because Nicolas II was suspicious of anyone who challenged his authority, he actively undermined the government and bureaucracy, preferring the fawning nonsense of manipulative courtiers and religious figures, such as Rasputin. After a series of assassinations and violent uprisings, he indulged in the idea that autocracy was the answer for the Russian Empire, egged on by his German wife, who believed he should rule as Ivan the Terrible had done. Rather than take an interest in the reforms needed - or even in the practical tasks of governing - he chose to live in a dream world in which he imagined the “people” loved him as the eternal soul of the entire country. Nicolas II, the Tsar, was so ill-suited to his role that the socio-political forces he faced led to complete catastrophe. Over 90% of the population were peasants in primitive villages, most of them illiterate though serfs until the 1860s (bound to the land under the total control of the gentry), they had recently gained some legal rights, including minimal self governance they were a mix of reactionary conservatives and the disgruntled, who carried a simmering rage. There was a slim tranche that represented an urban middle class, a rising bourgeoisie that dominated commerce and the rudiments of a manufacturing industry, but they were too weak to have much political influence. They owned most of the land, had the most education, and controlled the armed forces. On top was the Tsar and the aristocracy, which dominated government and the bureaucracy. The story begins with an analysis of the old regime, the last major one to survive in Europe. Why did it take place at the time it did? How did the Bolsheviks seize power so effectively? What happened to the other groups in Russian society? What unique aspects of Russian culture were at play? These were my questions as I read this book. The Russian Revolution represents the most radical transformation of a society in the early 20 th Century, yet its mechanics and issues remain opaque.
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