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﻿ WWI AND THE FALL OF THE ROMANOV DYNASTY by Julianna Duholke, Michael Quattrin, and Jordan Varley

**Who were the Romanovs? How did they come to power?** The Romanov family ruled Russia for three-hundred and four years, from 1613 to 1917. They were only the second imperial //dynasty// to be in power in Russia; however, they were also the last. Mikhail I Fyodorovich Romanov was the first Romanov family member to be //tsar//. Prior to Mikhail the Rurik Dynasty had been in place; however, the last member had died in 1598. After more than a decade of political chaos (also known as the Time of Troubles), Mikhail was elected due to his relation to a former tsar.  **Public opinion:** The Romanovs were very arrogant people who saw themselves as being superior to everyone else. They felt that Russia existed to serve them, as opposed to the other way around, and acted accordingly. Consequently, the family was not well-liked by Russians. A critic of the royal family noted that they were “guided not by considerations of policy, but solely by family interests, their influence in affairs of state is characterized by increasing efforts to exploit the State for their own political welfare” (King, 76). **How they ruled:** Up until 1905, Russians were ruled by an unlimited monarchy (i.e. there was nothing like a constitution limiting their powers). At this time it was a crime to question the authority of the Emperor; demanding change was out of the question. The people of Russia were desperate for some form of representation in government; they felt oppressed and wanted their voices to be heard. However, anything proposing some form of representation for the people was rejected. Evidently, the Romanovs practiced the concept of extreme //absolutism//, a political concept that had been eradicated in most European countries before the nineteenth century. This was consistent with most of their politics; they were a very traditional family whose aim was to maintain the status quo. 

-Nicholas II's Family -The Last Tsar || -Outbreak of War, Russia's Position -Mistakes during War || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-"Voting with their Feet" <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Peace || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-The End <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Death || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-The Inevitable Fall of the Dynasty || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Websites <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Pictures <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Video ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Site Map ** ||<  ||
 * < <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Family Background || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Notable Tsars
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">WWI Perspective/Tsar's Mistakes || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Mistakes Pre-War
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Voting with their Feet || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-An Unwanted War
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Fate of the Romanovs || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-A Turning Point
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Timeline || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-1613-1918 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Questions || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-The Tsar's Biggest Mistake
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Glossary || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Key Terms ||
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Bibliography || <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Books