How far has the importance of Rasputin to the fall of Nicholas II been exaggerated
Although Rasputin undoubtedly contributed to the Tsar’s abdication as he damaged the credibility of Nicholas II, there are more important factors such as World War One, which impacted on Russia’s social and economic environment thus heightening the resentment of the public towards the government. Moreover, the war acted as a catalyst towards the long term weaknesses of autocracy highlighting its anachronistic nature in the process.
The significance of Rasputin lies in the fact that his personal life served to discredit the Tsar although his role in Nicholas II’s fall has been exaggerated. It can be argued that Rasputin used political power in exchange for sexual favours, as a contemporary report by Rodzianko, the president of the duma would support the idea that Rasputin abused his position of political power to gain sexual favours. He stated that, Rasputin “took liberties” with the wife of an ambitious husband who “later…got his promotion.” (Fiehn, Russia and the USSR, Source 5)This source is not particularly reliable because there is little evidence to support the claims that are made, and we might suspect that Rodzianko is deliberately embellishing the negative light. Rodzianko was a key member of the Duma and a leading liberal who detested Rasputin and therefore his views are a reliable indication of how the political opposition sought to use Rasputin to discredit the Tsar. In conjunction to this source, focusing on Rasputin’s control for sexual favours, The Ohkrana reported an eyewitness that shows how this damaged the reputation of the Tsar. “Wife of a captain in the 145th Regiment, slept at Rasputins…the actress, slept at Rasputin’s…prostitute Gregubova”
It is clear that Rasputin used political opponents to destabilise the government because he broke the bond between Tsar and his people. We can understand that Rasputin gained more control over Russia during the War, from a wartime pictorial source in which portrays the public perception of the Tsar and Tsarina under Rasputin’s ‘spell’.
