What Could Nicholas II Have Done to Preserve the Imperial Throne?

[Forum Admin]

To just give one small perspective on what Nicholas faced on a daily basis. He hated his socks...they were chosen for him, and the choice was based on what his father had worn. However, to even change the kind of socks he wore would have entailed the total disruption of a dozen of the house staff, not to mention shame on the soon to be former supplier, and the stiff competition between the 'new' suppliers, all desperately wanting the Imperial warrant. The total disruption of dozens and dozens of people, over socks, was just not worth it to Nicholas, so he just kept having the socks he hated, rather than upset so many people, merely over his socks. Imagine how he approached the firmly entrenched bureaucracy....
FA

[Janet Whitcomb]

Aauurrgghh!  Excellent example demostrating the stodginess Nicholas was up against, and how he took pains (literally?) to avoid upsetting even the most seemingly insignifcant of apple carts. Also, we now have a real indication of what it was to walk in his shoes!

[Robert_Hall]

One wonders why he simply had the same supplier provide different socks !

[jackie3]

I said some of this in the Imperial Succession thread but I firmly believe that if WWI hadn't happened the Imperial Throne wouldn't have fell and gradually the Duma would have assumed more responsibilty leaving Nicholas more time to think over matter of succession. His abdication for Alexis (which may have been illegal) right after his own proves to me that no matter how much Alix talked about "Baby" inheriting the throne - in the family's mind it was still an iffy proposition. Perhaps Olga N. coming of age would have been named future regent replacing GD Michael and in case something happened to Alexis I'm sure given time (not the quick abdication on board a train in 1917) Nicholas would have changed the House Laws (just as Paul I created them to begin with) and moved his daughters up in succession so the Vladmirovitchi would never reign (since they would have because of Misha's marriage to Mrs.Wulfret).

I truly believe that 1905 was not the turning point but 1914 and the Declaration of War. If Russia had managed to avoid the war, the Bolsheviks wouldn't have gained power (which would have meant probably no Nazis in Germany later) and I can see the next generation of Romanovs, Alexis and his sisters moving the monarchy in a more British constitutional model.

At any rate the continuation of the mis-named "Nicholas the Bloody" would have been preferable than Lenin and his successors - probably the greatest shedders of blood (of their own people) in history and thats not even counting the Russian Civil War which cost millions in lives.

[strom]

I should like to know if anyone understands exactly how Stavka was misled on on March 1, 1917 (3.14 in Greg. cal.) in believing that the situation was calm in Petrograd.  This misconception of the surge of revolution in Petrograd was fascilitated by the infamous telegram 1833 received by Gen. Alekseev at Stavka between 1:00 and 2:00 P.M.  It was from this erroneous information (and possible other communications) that Alekseev would proceed to build a case for the abdication of the Emperor and what he believed would be an orderly transition to a civilian and representative government in Russia.  I think Alekseev came to rue the evil day of his traitorous acts.  

[presyork]

Hello I'm new to the board....

From what I understand, at first before the garrison revolted it was thought that the riots were under control and a reinforcement of several cavalry regiments had been ordered from the outskirts of Petrograd to come and reinforce the garrison.  The upper echelon of the imperial military wanted Nicholas to abdicate and appoint either GD Michael or even better Nicolasha as regent for Alexei.. But yes Alexeev did delay giving messages to Nicholas... These people had no idea what they ultimately were causing to happen...

[strom]

     The only way the throne could have been saved in March 1917 would have been if the military conspirators against the Emperor had been willing to reverse their course and reaffirm their adherance to the throne.  A temporary dictatorship in Petrograd would have been necessary probably extending until the end of the war. The remainder of the Empire would have been under the severest martial law.  
     It was intended that the Emperor be trapped at Pskov.  (He would latter say that he was "trapped [there] like a criminal.")   Indeed, I believe he was lured to Mogilev so that the abdication could be extorted from him one way or another.  

[Constantinople]

Probably the best thing that Nicholas could have done to preserve the Imperial throne would have been to get out of the Korean Peninsular before it became an issue with the Japanese.  The second best thing he could have done would have been to not enter the first world war.  Nicholas either had very poor intelligence or the inability to judge potential military enemies.

[Alixz]

I always thought that Nicholas's deciding to go to say goodbye to the troops was a set up.

At that point, I don't think the troops much cared and I think it was a way to trap Nicholas away from Alexandra and the capital.

It worked, too.  By the time Nicholas returned to the capital the revolution was at hand and the Provisional Government was in place.  Going back to Mogilev from Pskov was a stupid move.

[Belochka]

I always thought that Nicholas's deciding to go to say goodbye to the troops was a set up.

At that point, I don't think the troops much cared and I think it was a way to trap Nicholas away from Alexandra and the capital.

Why do you contend that Nikolai II was "set up"? By whom?

Eyewitness accounts to that event have recorded a very different scenario to the one you seem to think might have occurred.

[Alixz]

Nicholas had already become listless and malleable.

If I had just abdicated the most absolute throne in the world for its time, I would have gone straight to my family, not back to the front to say goodbye to the troops.

He must have known that this family was in need of protection from those who had forced him to abdicate and he should have known that he needed protection as well.

I have always thought it strange that he would go in the opposite direction from those who would need him the most.  His wife (no matter how obnoxious she was) and his children.

I probably have not read all of the sources that you have but every time I read about his decision to say goodbye to the troops, I have always wondered why he would do that and have thought that he was being shunted away from a place that the new government didn't want him at the time.

Since the new government had just taken away all of his rights and privileges why would they then allow him to have his own say in going back to Mogilev?  I have always felt that it suited a purpose that Nicholas just fell right in with even though he didn't realize it at the time.

[Michael HR]

As Prince Michael of Greece said in the Romanov family albums the abdication was the last great mistake of his reign, but did not of course mean that it was the last

[TimM]

The only way Nicky could have saved his throne would be to convert to a Constitutional Monarchy, like the British one.  Both he and Alix would no longer be autarchs, but at least they would have kept their thrones. 

Heck he might have been happier being just a figurehead monarch.

[Elisabeth]

"Nicky" as we so affectionately term him in this forum, would never have converted to the principle of constitutional monarchy, and the tragic part is, that even if he had, he would not have been able to survive as a constitutional monarch in Russia. He was demonstrably weak as a symbolic figure, he wasn't charismatic except in the narrow circle of family, courtiers, and friends. Most of all, he wasn't any intellectual or political giant. Even a Peter the Great or a Catherine the Great would have found it a challenge to emerge from the mire of 20th-century Russian political history without an ultimate defeat at the hands of public opinion. But faced with such an incredible challenge, "Nicky" of course NEVER counted, even as a contender.

[Sergei Witte]

I agree that Nicholas himself would not have been able to save the throne for the Romanovs. But he could have given others the power to do so. Witte and Stolypin were very successful until Nicholas lost confidence in them. When Nicholas felt they threatened his powers, they fell out of favor. But with a good team around him and enough mutual trust they could have come a long way.