Rasputin's Legacy
Rasputin as depicted in "Hellboy."
By the time Rasputin was dead, his actions and influence on the royal family proved to be irreversible.
The extent of Rasputin's advice to the royal throne proved to be the downfall of the empire. Nicholas II went to war himself largely due to the urging of Rasputin, who was convinced Russia could not win without the Tsar at the head of its armies. Unfortunately, Rasputin was wrong, and Nicholas' inadequacy in battle cost Russia the war in many respects. In addition, Nicholas' absence made the suspicions between himself and Alexandra only become worse and worse, which would ultimately lead to his death.
Once Rasputin was dead, the Romaov dynasty was doomed to extinction. The commitment that Russia had made to the front was too much for it to bear; fifteen million men that could have been working in agriculture were instead sent to the front line, and food that would have gone to citizens was instead diverted to soldiers. The economy couldn't support the massive amount of railway required to transport troops to the front line, and the amount of weapons required to arm the Empire's enormous army simply didn't exist. Russia's economy was in shambles, and its people were growing increasingly frustrated with the ineffective monarchy. Something had to give.
When the revolution came in 1917, it was all but inevitable. Despite Rasputin having been dead for over a year, the influence he had over the monarchy was still alive and well, in the eyes of the people, and they could tolerate their leaders no more. The royal family was imprisoned by the new Bolshevik government and for six months were placed under house arrest while the new government figured out what to do with them. None of Nicholas' extended family - including the then-king of England, George V, who was Nicholas' cousin - would allow the royal family to leave the country and stay with them, and so the royal family was powerless at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Finally, after six months, the royal family was executed by firing squad with little resistance on their part; some accounts claim the order for their death was given by Lenin himself.
Public opinion on Rasputin was heavily divided after his death, and still is today. On the one hand, some of the Russian populace believed Rasputin to be a cancer on the government, nothing more than a cheap conman with a few religious tricks up his sleeve and a desire for power. They believed that Rasputin was nothing more than a "serpent in the garden", so to speak, a power behind the throne who sought to exert as much control as he could over the monarchy. Rasputin to them was a representation of the sentiment that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
However, to other members of the Russian people, especially Siberians and other Russians east of the Urals, Rasputin was the ultimate "rags to riches" story. Born a peasant in Siberia with no hope of doing anything worthwhile in life, he defied the destiny of those around him and rose to one of the most powerful positions in Russia. To these Russians, Rasputin was a symbol, and showed them that anyone could do what he did with enough perseverance and hard work. In many ways, he served as a sort of Russian equivalent of the American dream; starting with nothing, and through trials and obstacles, earned himself a spot at the top. In fact, some members of the Russian Orthodox Church are campaigning for his canonization into sainthood.
Rasputin, even today, still fascinates the public with his tales and accomplishments, both real and supposed. Dozens of movies, TV shows, and novels have been written featuring Rasputin as a character, simply because there's really a lot we don't know about him. There's an air of mystery around the Rasputin story; so many aspects of his life and legacy are still unanswered. Did he participate in any of the cults of his village? Was his faith healing actually based on faith, and not a natural explanation? How was it that he wasn't poisoned on the night of his death? What would have happened if Nicholas II hadn't heeded his advice to go into battle? The true nature of these and many other questions remains to be seen; time will tell the full role Rasputin played in Russian history.
The extent of Rasputin's advice to the royal throne proved to be the downfall of the empire. Nicholas II went to war himself largely due to the urging of Rasputin, who was convinced Russia could not win without the Tsar at the head of its armies. Unfortunately, Rasputin was wrong, and Nicholas' inadequacy in battle cost Russia the war in many respects. In addition, Nicholas' absence made the suspicions between himself and Alexandra only become worse and worse, which would ultimately lead to his death.
Once Rasputin was dead, the Romaov dynasty was doomed to extinction. The commitment that Russia had made to the front was too much for it to bear; fifteen million men that could have been working in agriculture were instead sent to the front line, and food that would have gone to citizens was instead diverted to soldiers. The economy couldn't support the massive amount of railway required to transport troops to the front line, and the amount of weapons required to arm the Empire's enormous army simply didn't exist. Russia's economy was in shambles, and its people were growing increasingly frustrated with the ineffective monarchy. Something had to give.
When the revolution came in 1917, it was all but inevitable. Despite Rasputin having been dead for over a year, the influence he had over the monarchy was still alive and well, in the eyes of the people, and they could tolerate their leaders no more. The royal family was imprisoned by the new Bolshevik government and for six months were placed under house arrest while the new government figured out what to do with them. None of Nicholas' extended family - including the then-king of England, George V, who was Nicholas' cousin - would allow the royal family to leave the country and stay with them, and so the royal family was powerless at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Finally, after six months, the royal family was executed by firing squad with little resistance on their part; some accounts claim the order for their death was given by Lenin himself.
Public opinion on Rasputin was heavily divided after his death, and still is today. On the one hand, some of the Russian populace believed Rasputin to be a cancer on the government, nothing more than a cheap conman with a few religious tricks up his sleeve and a desire for power. They believed that Rasputin was nothing more than a "serpent in the garden", so to speak, a power behind the throne who sought to exert as much control as he could over the monarchy. Rasputin to them was a representation of the sentiment that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
However, to other members of the Russian people, especially Siberians and other Russians east of the Urals, Rasputin was the ultimate "rags to riches" story. Born a peasant in Siberia with no hope of doing anything worthwhile in life, he defied the destiny of those around him and rose to one of the most powerful positions in Russia. To these Russians, Rasputin was a symbol, and showed them that anyone could do what he did with enough perseverance and hard work. In many ways, he served as a sort of Russian equivalent of the American dream; starting with nothing, and through trials and obstacles, earned himself a spot at the top. In fact, some members of the Russian Orthodox Church are campaigning for his canonization into sainthood.
Rasputin, even today, still fascinates the public with his tales and accomplishments, both real and supposed. Dozens of movies, TV shows, and novels have been written featuring Rasputin as a character, simply because there's really a lot we don't know about him. There's an air of mystery around the Rasputin story; so many aspects of his life and legacy are still unanswered. Did he participate in any of the cults of his village? Was his faith healing actually based on faith, and not a natural explanation? How was it that he wasn't poisoned on the night of his death? What would have happened if Nicholas II hadn't heeded his advice to go into battle? The true nature of these and many other questions remains to be seen; time will tell the full role Rasputin played in Russian history.