Who's Who
Important Groups and Individuals
Feodorova, Alexandra
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Born as Alix of Hesse in Germany, Alexandra married Nicholas II shortly after he became Tsar in 1894. As Empress of Russia, she was unpopular with the Russian people due to her influence and her closeness to Rasputin. Her Germany heritage made her further disliked during the First World War. She was executed along with her husband and children in 1918.
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Gapon, Father Georgi
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Gapon was an orthodox priest who had a large role to play in the revolt of 1905. Gapon lead some 20,000 people to the winter palace to present a petition to the tsar, urging him to address the peasant and worker concerns. Gapon was murdered in 1906.
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Kerensky, Alexander
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A member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, he was leader of Russia's Provincial Government from July to November 1917, when he was overthrown by the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution.
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Lenin, Vladimir
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A political theorist and revolutionary, heavily influenced by the works of Karl Marx, Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik Party that overthrew the Provisional Government in 1917 and seized control of Russia. Under his leadership, the Russian Empire became the communist Soviet Union.
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Nikolaevich, Alexei
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The Tsarevich, youngest child and only son of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorova. Alexei was born with haemophilia, and his mother's reliance on Rasputin to treat the condition brought the hated monk into a position of influence. Alexei was murdered in 1918 along with the rest of his family. Rumours suggested that he had survived along with his sister Anastasia, but the discovery of his remains in 2007 debunked any claims to his survival.
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Nikolaevna, Anastasia
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The fourth child and youngest daughter of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorova. She was murdered in 1918 along with her parents and siblings. Throughout the twentieth century, speculation persisted that she had survived, and several women claimed to be her. Such claims were disproved with the discovery of her remains in 2007.
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Nikolaevna, Maria
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The third child of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorova. She was murdered in 1918 along with her parents and siblings.
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Nikolaevna, Olga
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The eldest child of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorova. She was murdered in 1918 along with her parents and siblings.
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Nikolaevna, Tatiana
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The second child of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorova. She was murdered in 1918 along with her parents and siblings.
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Romanov, Nicholas Alexandrovich (Nicholas II)
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Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov was the last emperor of Russia (1894-1917), whose reign saw Russia fall from a great imperial power to economic and military disaster. He abdicated in 1917 and was executed along with the rest of his family in 1918.
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Trotsky, Leon
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A leading figure in the October Revolution, Trotsky was a prominent member of the Bolshevik Party. He later founded and led the Red Army.
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Stolypin, Pytor
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Pytor Stolypin was Witte’s successor as Prime Minister from 1906 until his assassination in 1911. At first, Stolypin’s main action was stamping out terrorism and revolts. However, he soon came to realise that the problem needed to be addressed at its roots. In his years in office, Stolypin introduced agrarian reforms in an attempt to address the peasant's economic problems. However, it has been argued that these reforms were too limited to bring about any real peace.
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Witte, Sergei
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An important member of the Tsar’s government and advisory council, Witte was the finance minister from 1892 to 1903. As the Minister for finance, Witte encouraged industrial development. From 1903 to 1906 Witte was the Prime Minister of Russia, negotiating peace settlements with Japan and dealing with the Bloody Sunday Revolution. It was Witte that convinced the Tsar to give the people what they wanted, drawing up the October Manifesto for the Tsar to adopt.
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Yefimovich, Grigori (Rasputin)
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A Siberian peasant, Yefimovich became known as a religious mystic. His behaviour within society earned him the name Rasputin, meaning degenerate. Rasputin came into the lives of the royal family after they believed he had saved their son Alexis’ life. Rasputin’s reputation damaged the Tsar’s image, with rumours that he was the lover of the Tsarina. After Stolypin’s death in 1911, Rasputin gained more and more power and began to involve himself in the politics of the state. Some argue that Rasputin was responsible for the appointment of a number of weak political leaders, through his influence over the royal family. Rasputin was murdered in 1916 by a group of aristocrats.
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References for this page
Darlington, R., Greer, V., McCallum, A., Lumsdaine, J. & McAllister, A. (2002). Turning Points: Modern history Depth Studies. Port Melbourne: Heinemann.
Florinsky, M. (1964). Russia, A Short History. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Lynch, M. (1992). Access to History: Reaction and Revolution: Russia 1894-1924 Fourth Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.
Millar, R. (2004). Encyclopaedia of Russian History. New York: Macmillan Reference USA
Spartacus Educational (n.d). Sergei Witte. Retrieved from http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSwitte.htm
The History Learning Site (n.d). Peter Stolypin. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/russia-1900-to-1939/peter-stolypin/
Darlington, R., Greer, V., McCallum, A., Lumsdaine, J. & McAllister, A. (2002). Turning Points: Modern history Depth Studies. Port Melbourne: Heinemann.
Florinsky, M. (1964). Russia, A Short History. New York: The Macmillan Company.
Lynch, M. (1992). Access to History: Reaction and Revolution: Russia 1894-1924 Fourth Edition. London: Hodder & Stoughton Educational.
Millar, R. (2004). Encyclopaedia of Russian History. New York: Macmillan Reference USA
Spartacus Educational (n.d). Sergei Witte. Retrieved from http://spartacus-educational.com/RUSwitte.htm
The History Learning Site (n.d). Peter Stolypin. Retrieved from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/modern-world-history-1918-to-1980/russia-1900-to-1939/peter-stolypin/