Publication Date

Spring 2016

Faculty Supervisor

John Poling

Description

The fall of the Romanovs in 1917 led to a very dark time in Russian history, one of chaos and eventually tremendous loss of life. Many historians credit the violent dispersal of the Russia’s royal family as leading to events like Russia’s civil war, the forming of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (USSR), and entry into World War II after the country appeared vulnerable to tyrants like Hitler. In the words of author Joshua Hammer “the murder of Czar Nicholas Romanov and his family has resonated through Soviet and Russian history, inspiring not only immeasurable government cover-ups and public speculation but also a great many books, television series, movies, novels and rumors.” (Hammer, 1) The murder of the Romanovs was unnecessary, brutal, and gruesome to all involved—members of the killing squad later expressed their regret in being involved in the killings. This paper will show my firm stance on these events, and my belief that this is not how power should be attained. Historians and Russian scholars can read this paper for an apt summary on the ending of a dynasty of imperial power, and the start of a rough transition into the 20th century. Skeptics are welcome to disagree with the facts, as the mystery has been solved for decades. Any implications or assumptions made are through common knowledge, especially when I discuss the butterfly effect the execution caused through later years.

Course

History 102

Rights

Copyright is owned by the creator of this work.

Included in

History Commons

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