Alexandra and Rasputin

[Kalafrana]

Could it be that the 'hatred' only began during WW1, and previously there was 'dislike', 'frustration', 'annoyance' and the like?

Ann

[Forum Admin]

I think "hatred" is not really the correct term, except for some of the aristocracy.  Alexandra, from the beginning, was "not like them".  The Aristocracy loved its parties, balls, trips and social whirl of theatre, restaurants, dining salons and the gossip and intrigue that went along. Alix was none of those things.  In an era when children were "seen and not heard" and primarily relegated to the care of Nannies and governesses, Alexandra was as devoted, loving and "hands on" Mother as any.  She hated the social scene and found the Court gossip and intrigues to be repulsive.  She was a very devout Orthodox, when the Aristocrats were more of the "for show" for their belief.  So the Upper Classes resented her and disliked the way she cut off their access to the Emperor.

She was invisible to the people, she was painfully shy about public appearances, and after Stolypin's murder, she became even more reclusive.  So the people felt no "attachment" towards her.

Thus, the vast majority of Russians at the time felt no "connections" to Alexandra.  It is very easy to develop negative feelings towards someone you feel no connection to. This was the crux of Alexandra's problematic relationship to the people over whom she ruled.

[Alixz]

I believe it was a matter of just not doing her job.  I know that many feel compassion for her and admiration for her as a mother and wife, but just like Nicholas II and every other tsar and empress before her, Alexandra had a job to do and she just didn't want to do it.

Maybe she wasn't capable of doing it, but I think that a little of that Queen Victoria moxie that flowed in her veins should have come out and she should have just done what was expected of her.  She wasn't a private person and should have had no expectation of getting her privacy any more that Diana, Princess of Wales could.

I think that the parallel between Alexandra and Diana is that same feeling of either disapproval or compassion.  Both women took a job they were totally unsuited for and then both tried to "hide away" from what was expected.  While Diana was still married to Charles she did her job no better than Alexandra did hers and that is why both women bring out the kind of hate/compassion reactions that people had of them and still have.

I guess one could say that both were good mothers, but horrible "princesses".  One was loved by her husband and one was not, but both chose the life style and then also chose to ignore the the duty that came with it.

[LauraO]

It all seems very badly researched to me, if you write about someone with such an utterly subjective manner then it just comes across as badly researched, depite the various mistakes which also point towards this. i think its pretty terrible actually, and as far as AF being referred to as loud mouthed......many things i have heard her called...many things she was worthy of being called...loud mouthed was certainly not one of them.