Alexandra's political power/control during WWI

[initial]

Alexandra Fyodorovna had every right to speak about ministers of the government, however as can be read in both Mordvinov's memoirs and in Spiridovich's "diary", Nikolai II always acted as he saw fit, undeterred by the opinions of others.

That was my initial impression as well, but I've been hearing/reading again and again in documentaries and in print that Alexandra "ran the government" in the tsar's absence. Although I suspected it was a persistent myth, I wanted to make sure my perception of the situation wasn't incorrect.

Reading your word "initial" I am left to surmise that you have been drawn away from your "initial impression."

Could you please reveal the "print" that you have been reading to clarify your "perception"?

[My question is whether or not Alexandra Fyodorovna possessed and/or exercised any political authority over the governance of Petrograd in the tsar's absence during WWI.]

Thus it becomes apparent that you used the word "foist" to actually mean that Alexandra Fyodorovna "presented her opinions uninvited".

Well...yes. Since that's what foist means, I'm not sure what you're taking issue with.

 

1. Why do you believe that she required an invitation to present "advice or opinions" in her private correspondence?

Again, you're putting words in my mouth. I have not said nor implied that I 'believe that she required an invitation to present "advice or opinions" in her private correspondence.' However, judging by her tendency to apologize for doing so, it's seems reasonable to wonder whether such advances were not entirely welcome.

2. From whom would Alexandra Fyodorovna need to have sought an invitation to write her private thoughts?

A rhetorical question, I presume.

I am intrigued with your comment as to why you "wondered" if someone might comment on your use of the word "foist". Why so?

I've been around here long enough to have acquired a sense of what kinds of words might trigger some of our touchier members.


At any rate, we're getting off track. My question was not whether Alexandra advised her husband, nor whether she was justified in doing so.

My question is whether or not Alexandra Fyodorovna possessed and/or exercised any political authority over the governance of Petrograd in the tsar's absence during WWI.

[initial]

That was my initial impression as well, but I've been hearing/reading again and again in documentaries and in print that Alexandra "ran the government" in the tsar's absence. Although I suspected it was a persistent myth, I wanted to make sure my perception of the situation wasn't incorrect.

Reading your word "initial" I am left to surmise that you have been drawn away from your "initial impression."

You're mistaken. On the contrary, as I said in post #13 I started this thread as means of confirming my original opinion.

[initial]

That was my initial impression as well, but I've been hearing/reading again and again in documentaries and in print that Alexandra "ran the government" in the tsar's absence. Although I suspected it was a persistent myth, I wanted to make sure my perception of the situation wasn't incorrect.

Reading your word "initial" I am left to surmise that you have been drawn away from your "initial impression."

You're mistaken. On the contrary, as I said in post #13 I started this thread as means of confirming my original opinion.

I am sorry that I misread your earlier posting. Thank you for your clarification.

Thus it becomes apparent that you used the word "foist" to actually mean that Alexandra Fyodorovna "presented her opinions uninvited".

Well...yes. Since that's what foist means, I'm not sure what you're taking issue with.

To make myself more clear, IMO the use of the word "foist" connotes a deliberate forceful act, which carries a far more negative interpretation than the simpler term "uninvited". 

Based on how I interpreted that word on my reading of your posting, I was attempting to understand why you chose to use the word "foist" in your sentence.

[blatant]

... The apologies the empress sometimes pads her her advice with in her wartime letters suggest that the empress realized her blatant counseling of the tsar might be viewed by some as stepping out of bounds, so to speak. Nicholas, however, never seemed to be critical of his wife's habit.

Just reading this statement alone, some may be led to accept as true that Empress’s “counseling” was “blatant” even before other points raised in the posting can be examined in detail.

I am not sure that any one's use of any words in English is the subject of this thread.

The original question was (to me) did Alexandra have an political power or control of the government during WWI. 

I do believe that Nicholas left her "in charge".  In charge of what and how much in charge is what we are talking about.  Did that mean that she had, by his authority, the ability to appoint or dismiss ministers?  Or did she only have the authority to report to Nicholas and then he would do what ever he thought best. 

I don't know what Belochka means by "they fell on their own swords".  I think that they did the best they could when they knew that any small thing could lead to their dismissal.  Didn't one of them even say that he was like an old coat taken out of mothballs when necessary?

Since by the time of WWI, Nicholas was taking advice almost exclusively from Alexandra and she was taking it almost exclusively from Rasputin, I think (IMHO) that Nicholas wasn't making any decisions on his own.  He had already abdicated in spirit if not on paper.

There are reports of Nicholas not actually doing any war work, but taking long walks, playing dominoes and receiving and dining with his family when they came his way.

Please let us keep to the topic and leave the English lessons to another thread.

The original question was (to me) did Alexandra have an political power or control of the government during WWI. 

Thanks Alixz.

To clarify again: I'm not particularly interested in the extent to which Alexandra may or may not have influenced Nicholas's decisions (though I'm not going to protest if anyone wants to discuss those aspects of power & control). The information I'm looking for is whether Alexandra possessed any official authority over the government in the tsar's absence. In other words, did anyone submit political issues directly to the empress in Petrograd, or were all matters of state still routed first through Nicholas at Stavka? Thus far, the answer seems to be no...

From what I have read, I believe that all matters of state were still routed to Nicholas.  The problem is that he wasn't doing much with the information that was sent to him.

Alexandra (from her letters) tried very hard to influence him and to some extent she did, however the fact that she was not allowed to arrest a member of the Imperial Family as she did Dimitri Pavlovich (I think) shows that she truly had no real power.  The arrest was her first and last try at imperial power and she just didn't have it even in that instance.

I have often wondered if all of her nagging about what Rasputin thought and what Nicholas should do on the advice of "Our Friend" made Nicholas shut down to all advice, even that from his trusted advisers (those who were left).

Could Alexandra appoint or dismiss ministers?  I don't think so, but I do think that she made those same things happen by her constant cajoling and giving advice in her letters behind the scene.  Nicholas, by this time had already decided that one Rasputin was worth ten of Alexandra's illnesses.  So he took her advice and made bad decisions.

Nicholas was in no way ever by temperament or by training a good tsar, but I actually feel sorry for him by 1914 - 1917.  He was in deep over his head and even if he trusted his wife and welcomed her "advice" since much of it came directly from Rasputin, it only made things worse.

To me, Rasputin was a mischief maker. I don't know if others feel that he was.  He manipulated, not for the greater glory of himself as he gave away much of what he got, but he liked to play puppeteer and he was playing with the Imperial Family.

He was right about the war and that Russia should stay out of it.  Does anyone know how Alexandra felt about it?  Did she parrot Rasputin, or was she truly behind the mobilization.  Did she think it was a good step for Russia?

I have one more question probably off topic, but when Alexander I went off to the Crimea and took his tsarevich Alexander with him, who ruled in his stead?  Was it a usual thing for the Empress to take over the government while her husband was away?

[Never let us being parted!]

Rasputin was against Nicholas' involving into Balkan wars in 1912 and 1913, and he persuaded him of not to take part about it. In 1913, it seemed that war was near, and all were dressed in that style. Even Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana wore their regiments and posed with people from it. Anyway, Rasputin was wounded in June of 1914 by Guseva, so he couldn't have affected Tsar and Tsarina' s wills against The First World war. He was away, in Pokrovskoe. Alexandra Feodorovna was against the war, Count Veoikov says that she cried on the Balcony of the Winter Palace, during proclaiming mobilization and declaration.

Just because he was wounded and not in Pitr doesn't mean that he didn't communicate with Nicholas & Alexandra.

He did speak his mind about the war and said that Russia should not be involved.

I did not know that Alexandra cried on the balcony.  Was is because the war would be bad for the Russian people, or bad for her family as they fought on both sides?  She must have been in a very bad place at that time.

The thought of war seemed to bring the whole country together, but only for a short time.  The Grand Duchesses posing in their uniforms didn't mean anything.

But we are talking about whether or not Alexandra had any real influence or power in the capital after Nicholas left for Stavka.  Rasputin was back by that time.

I did not know that Alexandra cried on the balcony.  Was is because the war would be bad for the Russian people, or bad for her family as they fought on both sides?  She must have been in a very bad place at that time.

Nicholas was also observed weeping on the balcony. The crowd spontaneously knelt and sang "God Save the Tsar" when N&A appeared. We can only speculate on the imperial couple's state of mind, but all accounts agree it was an emotionally charged moment for everyone involved.

[Never let us being parted!]

Just because he was wounded and not in Pitr doesn't mean that he didn't communicate with Nicholas & Alexandra.

He indeed didn't communicate with the Imperial Pair, he couldn't. Anyway, I doubt if Nicholas would have listened to him. Later, it is mentioned, that he said, he would have been able to prevent the Russian involving, somehow, if he had been near them.

The "weeping" could have been emotional upheaval.  Both Nicholas and Alexandra knew that they had not been very popular since 1905 and even the 1913 Tercentenary had not gone as well as could have been expected.

This emotional show from the troops would have brought tears to their eyes.  Not because the Imperial couple were against the war but because they were for it and saw this display as confirmation that they were right and all was actually well among the "true Russians".

I don't know why you don't think that Rasputin couldn't communicate with Pitr during his illness and recovery from the stabbing wound.  He wasn't comatose and he had many ways of sending messages to either Anna Vyrubova and then to Alexandra or directly by telegraph.

According to other sources, Rasputin's wound while bad was not that bad, but the lack of modern medical care is what led to his slow recovery.  I doubt seriously that Rasputin would let his finger off the pulse of what was going on in the capital just because he was in bed in Pokrovskoye.

Do you have sources for your information that he was out of touch?

[Never let us being parted!]

With pleasure.

On July 8th 1914, Rasputin went to Pokrovskoye. Alix wanted to return Rasputin in the capital, but it was more than obvious that Nicky would have objected on it.

Singer Beling wrote down in her memories : At one moment, Rasputin, during a lunch, said : If there had not been that cursed woman, who stabbed my stomach, war wouldn't have happened'.

Sazonov says that if he had been in Petrograd, war wouldn't have happened.

Guckov said, that Rasputin had said that he personally will do anything to prevent the war.

Alix sent telegrams to Tyumen and Pokrovsko:

July 16th 1914 -  Bad news, terrible moments. Pray for him (For Emperor), he doesn't have strength to deal with the others.

Rasputin sent over 20 telegrams to Tsar begging him not to take part in war, also Badmayev stated too.

You are Tsar, you are father, don't allow to the others to perish you and the people, all is sinking in a bloodshed..Gregory.

Tsar proclaimed GD Nicholas to be a commander -in chief, and Alix had to deal with it.

He indeed didn't communicate with the Imperial Pair, he couldn't. Anyway, I doubt if Nicholas would have listened to him. Later, it is mentioned, that he said, he would have been able to prevent the Russian involving, somehow, if he had been near them.

My sincere apologies, I was terribly wrong, I am so sorry, next time I will check my sources thousand times, so true is that Rasputin had a correspondence with the Imperial Pair, during the Long Summer of 1914. I meant, he couldn't have affected Tsar that much, because he was miles away.