Nicholas II of Russia: little-known facts of life

Nicholas II was isolated and had no communication with either

the Commanders or anybody else. He understood that now the conspirators would not stop at anything. Nicholas did not want to strife and split in the Army and Russia, and he agreed to an allegedly «voluntary abdication»…

He agreed to abdicate in favor of his son. But after a conversation with Doctor Fedorov about hemophilia Nicholas changed his mind in favor of his brother Michael.

Everybody around the Emperor in those days was impressed by his self-control. But many of witnesses of the days remembered that the skin around his eyes turned brown with white folders of wrinkles… and even the special Tsar’s train which had arrived in Pskov in all its glamour had as if somehow turned “old” – the new paint on the cars cracked, split and was peeling off in full strips.

…So, in those days, the main predictions of Terakuto, Louis Hamon, Avel and Seraphim Sarovsky came true: they all called the year 1917 a fatal one: when he would be betrayed by his surroundings and would be forced to sacrifice himself for the sake of Russia, while he personally would lose everything.

***

After the dramatic farewell with the troops in Mogilev he was informed that he should consider himself arrested. Tsar’s Mother, Maria Feodorovna, wrote to the Great princess Olga Konstantinovna about this later:

“I am thankful to God that I had a chance to visit him in those awful 5 days in Mogilev, when he was so lonely and abandoned by everybody. He was as a true martyr, inclined against the unavoidable… I am the only one to know how much he had been suffering and what despair was there in his soul. He had sacrificed in the name of his country. This was the only thing he could do, and he did do this!”

The words about the martyrdom and sacrifice in the name of saving Russia were like an echo of Avel’s prophecy about the last tsar…

EPILOGUE

…Most likely, professional historians, always aloof from the “mythical themes,” might be very critical regarding introducing the concept of “fate” into the context of a historical research. Nevertheless, various monarchs, presidents, and country leaders did receive fateful prophecies through many centuries.

…Alexey Losev, a famous Russian historian, philosopher and philologist of the 20th century, had contemplated on this issue a lot and by the end of his life came to the following conclusion:

“Why does everything in our lives go one way and not the other? Why is someone doomed to die one year and not another? No even the most accurate science is able to predict this… There is freedom of will, but there also is a Fate. We are not aware of God’s intentions, but each person has his own fate… Why does God need this? He needs this to save the world…”

Russia's achievements during the reign of Nicholas II.

Over the past hundred years. none of the state rulers had not been so slandered as Nicholas II … « Weak. limp. bloody " – these labels have been hung on him during his lifetime (and especially later, in the USSR). Historians. especially Soviet. with great pleasure did Nicholas II responsible for Khodinka. Tsushima. Jan. 9 ("Bloody Sunday") – that part is true. as the head of state is ultimately responsible for everything, regardless of personal involvement or non-involvement in the events . However. why it is considered that all of the positive changes in the country during his reign was not made because of his own will, not because of his persistent state work, but in spite of, without his daily work? In fact, he made a lot…

When Nicholas II was created Russian financial-monetary system . During his reign, the ruble was pushing down franc and the mark, overtaking the dollar.and rapidly approaching to the pound sterling. For the first time in the history of Russian revenues exceeded expenditures. and this was without any increase in the tax burden. When Nicholas II, a burden of direct taxes was four times less than in France and Germany. and eight and a half times less than in England. All this has led to an unprecedented flowering of Russian industry and an influx of capital from the developed countries of Europe. In the period from 1894 to 1913 a young Russian industry increased its capacity by four times. During WWI production increased even more rapidly.

During the reign of Nicholas II, the length of railways was increased by 1,574 kilometers per year (for comparision: the highest rate of communist rule took place in 1956 and amounted to 995 kilometers). In the begining of XX century Russian Empire came with the biggest and best in the world oil and petrochemical industry. At the same time. by order of the Emperor in 1896 the export of crude oil was limited – in order to develop their own industry – and 94 % of all crude oil processed into the country. All products was famous for high quality and low cost.

Russian metallurgical industry grew rapidly . Pig iron smelting increased over twenty years, almost four times ; copper smelting – five times ; production of manganese ore as five times . Production of cotton fabrics doubled. coal mining throughout the empire for twenty years has increased more than fourfold. The budget was constantly and quickly grown: from 1.2 billion rubles at the beginning of the reign of up to 3.5 billion rubles in 1913 . . For ten years (1904-1913) the excess of ordinary income over expenditure of more than two billion rubles. The gold reserve of the State Bank has increased from 648 million ( 1894 ) to 1604 million ( 1914). At the same time, the budget was increased without introducing new taxes and no increase old taxes – only due to the growth of the economy.

The length of railways, as well as of the telegraph wires, were grown more than doubled. Also increased river fleet – the largest in the world. ( In 1895, Russia had 2,539 ships in 1906 – 4317 . ) After the Russian -Japanese war, the army was thoroughly reorganized . Russian fleet, which suffered severely in the Russian -Japanese war. revived much more powerful by 1914 – and this success has also been achieved through great personal merits of Nicholas II . During the years 1906-1912 he twice overcame the stubborn resistance of the opposition in the State Duma of Russia on this issue.

Although the gap in labor productivity and in terms of gross output (GDP) per capita in comparison with advanced countries were still large, but in 1913-1917 Russia have surely approached to one of the five most developed and prosperous countries in the world.

Critics of Nicholas II, and also some historians say that all the achievements over the years – it is a merit of his ministers (Witte, Stolypin, Kokovtsoff), and Nicholas II has supposedly just slowed them. Fullness! He chose and appointed them, and they all (even Witte, not fond of Nicholas) admitted that they were able to carry out his reforms only because of his trust and support – sometimes against the furious resistance of powerful opponents.

Russian agriculture was also rapidly developed. For twenty-three years of the reign of Nicholas II harvest bread has doubled. In 1913, Russia was the world's first largest producer of rye, barley and oats, the country has become a major exporter of agricultural products, it accounted for 40% of total world exports of agricultural products. Never in the future it does not happen again!

Today it is hard to believe, but in the years 1912-1917 the Russian workers (at least in large enterprises ) earned no less than European workers. and prices in Russia for all major products were much less! In factories with more than 100 workers, has since 1898 introduced free health care that covered 70 percent of the total number of factory workers. Since June 1903 the imperial government made it mandatory for employers to pay benefits and pensions to the victim or his family in the amount of 50-66 % of the content of the victim. Since 1906 trade unions started work, and they have rapidly grown . The Act of 23 June 1912 have introduced the compulsory insurance of workers against illness and accident . Social legislation (insurance ) already in 1912 was one of the best in the world (and it is publicly acknowledged U.S. President Taft) .

Living conditions (housing conditions) of working-class families are also continuously improved: if at the end of XIX century, many working families still lived in communal barracks, by 1913 more than half of working-class families (in the cities) rented a separate apartment. And they spent to pay rent not more than 20% of the family budget (less than in Europe and the U.S.). Families of workers were big (at least three children), but only one (the head of the family) worked, and he kept the whole family. Was a large choice of apartments. The rapid growth of housing construction (building boom) in Moscow began with the 1880's and continued without interruption for nearly 35 years, until the beginning of WWI – but in the course of WWI, although the pace of housing construction fell (but not to zero), the housing construction go on even in the during of WWI. It is important to note as well that the pace of housing construction have consistently exceeded the birth rate (and population growth), although the pace of population growth (3.5% per year, including fertility), Moscow and St. Petersburg took 3-4 places in the world. (!)

Obviously, this means that the living conditions in Moscow and St. Petersburg continuously improved – until 1916 \ 17 years. By the way, not everyone knows that Russia during WWI was the only belligerent country that did not introduce ration cards (except for sugar).

Of course, in the beginning of the XX century the situation of workers in all countries (even in developed countries) was left much to be desired, – but only in Russia after 1917, it has become much worse than under Nicholas II. The standard of living of the workers and peasants recovered by the end of the NEP (by 1927), but later (in 1928-1941) the standard of living began to fall again, and reached a low in 1940 (two times worse than in 1913 for the workers, for the peasants – a lot worse). Living conditions of workers in the Soviet Union were worse than in Tsarist Russia until the beginning of mass housing under Khrushchev (late 1950s ) .

Over twenty years of the reign of Nicholas II, population of the empire has grown up more than fifty million people – on 40 %, the natural population growth exceeded three million a year. Along with the natural growth markedly increased also the level of well-being. For example, the contributions to the state savings banks increased from three hundred million rubles in 1894 to two billion rubles in 1913. Note also that the Russian forensic detective police was recognized as the best in the world in 1913 in Switzerland at the International Congress of crime police.