Why was the Tsar Nicholas II a poor ruler?
He sustained a dated and useless mode of government that kept the majority of the Russian population tied to the land. The Russian Empire was a backwards huge piece of land with great poverty and Nicholas’ love for autocracy, through which he refused to grant the country a constitution or organize the government in an efficient way, did not change things. The man ruled over the biggest country in the world and did not even have a secretary, something he was proud of. He kept old officers he personally liked in administrative offices, kept the competent ones away and often prioritized his marriage and family life, forgetting his duties as head of state. He was unable to maintain a positive image for him and his family among common people and the Russian aristocracy. He repressed dissidence with extreme violence and deportations to Siberia. Then, in WWI, it became clear he could not control his country and his army. He decided to travel to the front and direct the military. He was a terr
