19. The Romanovs and the Russian Revolution

European Civilization, 1648-1945 (HIST 202)

The period between the Russian Revolution of February 1917, which resulted in the overthrow of the autocracy and the establishment of a provisional government, and the Bolshevik Revolution in October of that same year, offers an instructive example of revolutionary processes at work. During this interval, the fate of Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra, was bound up in the struggle for power amongst competing political factions in Russia. Until his death, Nicholas was convinced that the Russian people would rescue him from his captors. Such a belief would prove to be delusional, and the efforts on the part of liberals, socialists, and some Bolsheviks to arrange for a trial would fail to save the czar from the verdict of history.

00:00 - Chapter 1. The Process of Revolution: Political Competition after the February Revolution
10:58 - Chapter 2. Czar Nicholas II, a Family Man
18:39 - Chapter 3. The Father of His People: Narod and the National Family
30:10 - Chapter 4. The Fall of the Romanovs

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2008.