Emperor Nicholas II during the First World War through the eyes of Russian monarchical circles
- DOI
- 10.5922/vestnikhum-2025-4-7
- Pages
- 79-90
Abstract
The views of representatives of monarchist circles within Russian society toward the last Russian emperor during the years of the First World War are examined. The study concludes that two models of monarchists’ attitudes toward Nicholas II during the specified period can be identified. The apologetic model was based on monarchists’ perception of the emperor’s personal virtues, including his loyalty to duty. Among the prominent apologists of the monarch was A. I. Dubrovin, the founder of the All-Russian Dubrovin Union of the Russian People, who expressed support for the emperor in the newspaper Russkoe znamya up to the February Revolution. The case described in the article involving an appeal to the authorities calling for the restoration of Nicholas II to the throne, as well as letters from representatives of various social strata addressed to the former tsar, demonstrates that even after his abdication, a sacralized perception of his figure persisted in society. The cited examples indicate the presence of loyalist sentiments within monarchist circles during the First World War, which did not significantly change under the influence of external or internal political circumstances. In this regard, this model of perception of the emperor may conditionally be described as static. The opposing model of perception of the monarch is characterized by a negative dynamic in attitudes toward him. Within this segment of monarchist circles, Nicholas II was regarded as an official held responsible for military failures and internal problems in the country. Dissatisfaction on the part of this group with the emperor’s actions and with the situation in the state ultimately found expression in the participation of V. V. Shulgin and A. I. Guchkov in organizing the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne.