As the Russian revolutionaries are busy forging a new country, Tsar Nicholas II spends his days quietly under house arrest. The Russian Telegraph got a chance to sit down with the ex-regent, and even included some of your own #1917CROWD questions.
The Russian Telegraph (RT) is a fictional media outlet, part of the #1917LIVE project, which relives the events of the Russian Revolution through the experiences of its main actors and witnesses. This week, away from the hustle and bustle of Petrograd and the front lines, we move to Tsarskoe Selo, just outside Petrograd. There, Nicholas II, who recently stepped down in favor of the Provisional Government, spends his days pondering his fate and enjoying family life with his five children.
The former regent does not regret stepping down as much as some may have thought. Those who heard his final address will remember that the Provisional Government was a better outcome in his view, as opposed to total anarchy.
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Regarding his current life, Nicholas II is happy the new authorities showed a great degree of leniency toward his clan, which – let’s not forget – is almost universally despised by the Russian people for its haphazard ruling style, not to mention dragging the country into a war no one wanted.
Nicholas continues his unveiled support of the Provisional Government’s policies, which closely match his own. His words resemble the rhetoric of current War Minister Alexander Kerensky, who is currently readying a decisive offensive against the enemy.
It should then come as no surprise to our readers that the deposed Tsar strongly advocates for Kerensky and his pro-war, anti-Bolshevik agenda.
Nicholas exhibits a certain detached attitude when questioned whether his policies had benefited the country. The former monarch alludes to divine providence that guided his rule and eventually landed Russia in its current state, for better or worse. Similarly, he also believes himself innocent before God regarding the events of 1905 and 1917, pertaining specifically to orders he had allegedly overseen to open fire on a crowd of protesters. Nicholas insists that no such orders were given by him.
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The Russian Telegraph also received a number of questions our readers wanted to put to Nicholas II. We’ve selected the most interesting ones below.
Stay with RT and #1917CROWD to find out how Nicholas II’s fate will transpire. We are almost exactly halfway through the Russian Revolution, so we still have a lot of ground to cover. A special thanks goes out to all our Twitter project members for staying in play and keeping the spirit alive.