What would They Have Done if They Had Survived?

[Dandywell]

I was just wondering what people thought the imperial family would have done if they had, or some of them had, survived July 16/17. (Esp. the children.)

[Annie]

The first thing to do would have been the one thing most of them did not want to do- leave Russia. There was no way they could have lived there. MF and the others who left from the Crimea didn't want to go but they had to. Maybe they'd have come to that same conclusion. It would have been so nice to have them make their way to the Crimea with the others.

If the Germans would have gotten them they could have sent them to Germany to live with Ernie. I have also thought it would have been nice to have them living in middle America, say a small farm town in Iowa or the Dakotas, under assumed names. Nicholas always wanted to be a farmer, and the harsh winters there wouldn't have bothered Russians. I can see the girls marrying other farmers and having long, quiet, peaceful lives.

[Dandywell]

Do you think they would have had to separate? That would be sad. I wonder if Alexei would have still had hemophilia for the rest of his life.

[Annie]

I think they'd have had to separate to escape because people would be looking for that description of a family, parents, boy, 4 girls. But if they had come to, say, middle America in some small town, I don't see any reason why they couldn't live together as a normal family.

[Dandywell]

You really like that middle-America idea, don't you?  

[helenazar]

I wonder if Alexei would have still had hemophilia for the rest of his life.

Hemophilia is not something one can be cured of, unfortunately...

[Dandywell]

I wondered about that, because I've seen people discuss what Rasputin said about Alexei growing out of it, and I thought that was kind of weird.

[helenazar]

I wondered about that, because I've seen people discuss what Rasputin said about Alexei growing out of it, and I thought that was kind of weird.

No, it's chronic. Nowadays it can be effectively treated but not cured. Back then, they couldn't even effectively treat it. But because it is a genetic disease, it is not curable. I am not sure why Rasputin said what he did, or even if he in fact did, but he certainly wasn't medically trained to know about genetic diseases So had he survived, Alexei would have still had to live under the threat of hemophiliac episodes every day of his life and probably would not have lived a very long life I'm afraid

[Annie]

You really like that middle-America idea, don't you?  

I think they'd have been totally safe there. At that time, very few people there would even recognize them, and since there were so many European immigrants coming in anyway, they wouldn't even think of them as special or unique. Actually, I'd love to write a 'what if' story following this storyline, it's an idea I've had for years.

[Dandywell]

Why don't you, then? Sounds interesting. I would read it!

[Denise]

Why don't you, then? Sounds interesting. I would read it!

Me too, Annie.  I think it sounds like a great read!!

Denise

[helenazar]

This may sound like a silly question, but would the US have given them an entry permit?

[Robert_Hall]

I raised this point before- Wilson was rabidly anti-monarchist.  The US was definitely still insular.  Immigrants were loathe to attract attention.  I doubt that the Russian Imperial Family would arrive without publicity. As a society sideshow, they would soon wear out their welcome & appeal. With so many expats looking for sympathy, I think it would have been nasty competition for attention- despite what romanticists may envisage. I think they might have been granted  visas, of a sort, but a permanent welcome ???

[helenazar]

I raised tis point before- Wilson was rabidly anti-monarchist.  

I remember reading that during that time (1910's), there was always lots of controversy going on about the way the Russian Jews were treated - the pogroms, etc were made very public in the American news. And even though Americans themselves were not innocent of antisemitism , this was still a hot political issue which made the Tsar and his government appear less than sympathetic to many Americans. So I agree, not everyone would have been that keen on this idea. Of course later on, after the murders of the IF, they were viewed with a lot more sympathy by the Americans, but that was in hindsite....

[Annie]

I raised tis point before- Wilson was rabidly anti-monarchist.  The US was definitely still insular.  Immigrants were loathe to attarct attention.  I doubt that the Russian Imperial Family would arrive without publicity. As a society sideshow, they would soon wear out their welcome & appeal. With so many expats looking for sympathy, I think it would have been nasty competition for attention- despite what romanticists may envisage. I think they might have been granted  visas, of a sort, but a permanent welcome ???

But if they had snuck away from the murderers (as this is a hypothetical thread) they could also have snuck in among other anonymous immigrants ;)

Thanks Denise and Dandy, I will try! :)