1. Sandra Cash
Mailbox 108
Living with the Romanov Family
Around the end of World War I, the Russians were beginning to lose hope in
winning the war. In 1915, four million Russian soldiers had died from World War I, and
the economy was horrible (Summers and Mangold 37). Losing all these Russian soldiers
made the Russians feel despair. In hopes of encouraging the Russian people, Tsar
Nicholas II decided he should be leading his troops, so he released his great commander-
in-chief (Summers and Mangold 37). With the tsar away, Nicholas II left his wife in
power, and Alexandra trusted and asked for advice from Rasputin (Summers and
Mangold 37). A servant of the Romanov family might see these events, and events to
come in this way.
Dear Journal,
The year is 1915; it seems as if we have been fighting in the Great War forever. It
would be one thing if we were actually winning some battles, but instead we seem to be
always defeated. I am not sure that Nicholas II is the emperor we thought he would be. I
can remember when Groza newspaper said, “only Tsar Nicholas II was capable to
furnishing bread and peace to the Russian people; only he could save the country from
total ruin” (Rabinowitch 43). This does not seem to be the case, for if the Tsar Nicholas II
was to bring bread and peace to us, the prices of food and such would not go up, when
there are so many of us the common people who are out of jobs (Summers and Mangold
37). Although he did try, his best to prevent Russia becoming involved with this horrible
war (Ryan). Ever since Tsar Nicholas II left to be the head of his troops, he left his

2. empress Alexandra in power. The empress is influenced by that disgusting Rasputin, who
if he feels that a person has insulted him, he has that person taken out of office (Summers
and Mangold 38). I will talk about Rasputin at another time, for I must go since the
empress is calling.
Dear Journal,
How does one go about telling about Rasputin? Maybe I should explain how he
became so influential to the empress Alexandra. You see Alexei, who is the only son of
Nicholas and Alexandra, if he gets the littlest bump, bruise, or cut, it makes him bleed a
lot more than common people, and gives him intense pain (Summers and Mangold 35).
This being the case, the poor boy has had a lot of doctors look at him and try to help him,
but they just don’t seem to know how to help him. Well since any mother wants to help
her children when they are in pain, Alexandra went out looking for someone who could
help Alexei. She found Rasputin, who is supposed to have “miraculous powers of healing
and prophecy” (Summers and Mangold 36). I do not know what Rasputin actually does,
but he does seem to help Alexei when Alexei has been hurt. In any case, since Rasputin
has helped Alexandra’s son, she relies on his advice (Summer and Mangold 36).
Whenever he comes to the palace, he looks disgusting! He is dirty, he looks as if he never
cleaned his beard and nails, he has long hair, these steel-blue eyes in deep sockets, thick
bushy eyebrows, and he wears peasant clothing (Carrère d'Encausse 147). He is also a
person you do not want to insult, for if you did he would use his influence to have you
dismissed so that he could put a person who he liked in your place (Summer and
Mangold 37). It is Rasputin who dismissed cabinet ministers, and other high people, in
order to replace them with his incompetent nominees (Ryan). I believe it is through

3. Alexandra’s foolishness that Rasputin influences her, and is why so many Russians are
trying to overthrow the Romanov dynasty.
Dear Journal,
Well the food shortages keep getting worse, and the economy is horrible to the
point where workers are willing to listening to some of the most extreme speakers
(Palmer and Colton 707). Right now, the main revolutionary people are the Bolsheviks,
and they are the only ones, because they seem to change their program to what the
revolutionary people want (Palmer and Colton 707). As it is when the cook sends me out
for food in the morning, I see a long line of poor hungry people at the bakeries (Summer
and Mangold 38). I’m afraid that there is no way to stop this revolution, for with things
getting worse like the economy, that the people will only see the revolution as a way to
stop this. As it is, Rasputin was assassinated around Christmas of 1916, I mean I never
liked him, but I would never wish someone to kill him (Summer and Mangold 38). I
wonder if he saw that coming since he supposedly had the power of prophecy. We shall
see how bloody this revolution will be, I hope it will not be bloody, but we shall see.
Dear Journal,
It’s mid-January in the year of 1917. I’ve heard talk that Tsar Nicholas II has been
told by royalists, and foreign diplomats that he will be overthrown so it is best to
abdicate now (Summer and Mangold 38). Of course, Nicholas II will not listen to them;
he denies it and left back for headquarters (Summer and Mangold 38). Since he left, St
Petersburg has had riots and army mutinies, I’m afraid that, since I am one of their palace
servants, the revolutionary people might take their wrath out on me too (Summer and
Mangold 38).

4. Dear Journal,
As soon as Nicholas heard about the riots and army mutinies in St Petersburg, he
tried to return to the capital, but he was blocked by rebel troops (Summer and Mangold
38). Due to this, the imperial train had to go to Pskov, where the tsar finally listened to
the advice from his generals (Summer and Mangold 38). I am so happy that he has finally
decided to listen to his generals’ advice!
Dear Journal,
What a week it has been, I will begin to tell you what all has happened in this
week. On March 15, 1917, Tsar Nicholas II abdicated (McKay, Hill, Buckler, Ebrey,
Beck, Crownston, and Wiesner-Hanks 859)! I am hoping since he has abdicated that this
revolution will end and Russia will become peaceful once again. Tsar Nicholas II signed
his throne to his brother, the Grand Duke Michael, but he refused the throne (Ryan).
Since the Grand Duke Michael, does not want the throne of Russia, a Provisional
Government will be formed (Ryan). This provisional government, from my
understanding, is a compromise between the Duma and the new revolutionary leaders
(Summers and Goldman 38). I hope this provisional government works and ends this
revolution.
Dear Journal,
Well today, I had to pack, for the Romanov family is moving to the palace at
Tsarskoe Selo. It is a few miles south of St Petersburg. We are moving there for the
Romanov’s safety (Summer and Goldman 38). In the palace of Tsarskoe Selo, the
Romanov family is to be on house arrest. This is the better option, for the extremists want
them dead, and for Nicholas and Alexandra to be in an actually prison (Summer and

5. Goldman 39). Thankfully, the new minister of justice, Alexander Kerensky is a good
man, for he said, “I will not be the Marat of the Russian Revolution. The Russian
Revolution does not take vengeance” (Summer and Goldman 39). I think so long as
Alexander Kerensky is here, he will keep the Romanov family safe. Too many people are
spreading rumors that the tsar is betraying Russia, since the press is now freed from
censorship (Summer and Goldman 39).
Dear Journal
Today, Kerensky warned Nicholas “The Bolsheviks are after me and then they
will be after you” (Summer and Goldman 39) I hope that nothing becomes of this! Only
time will tell I guess.
Dear Journal,
It’s August of 1917, the government has arranged for the Romanov family to be
moved again, but this time to Tobolsk, in Siberia (Summer and Goldman 40). I am yet
again packing the Romanov family to bring them to another place for their safety.
Although this time, we will be taking less because I hear we will be living in the
Governor’s house over there (Summer and Goldman 40).
Dear Journal,
We made it here to Tobolsk safe and sound. The Romanov family is adapting to
life here well. They have a garden that the girls tend to, and Nicholas who was always
interested in exercise enjoyed this time to exercise and do chores. The rebellion is still
going strong right now, from what I hear. They are now calling it the “October
Revolution” or the “Bolsheviks Revolution” (Summer and Goldman 40). The Bolsheviks
are bringing Lenin to power. This is because the Provisional Government was unable to

6. end the Bolshevik Revolution, and help the horrible economy. They believe that Lenin,
the leader of the Bolsheviks, is the only one who will keep his promise of peace and a
good life if a dictatorial social government is created (Volkov and Bouis 51). The
Bolsheviks are slowly making this house seem more like a prison (Summer and Goldman
40). They have built this horrible looking stockade around the house, and now the
Romanov family has ration cards (Summer and Goldman 40). I hope this does not get
worse for the Romanov family, maybe things will die down.
Dear Journal,
We have only been here in Tobolsk eight months and yet they are moving us
again (Summer and Goldman 40)! The Romanov family will be moved to Ekaterinburg
in the Ural Mountains (Summer and Goldman 40). Although this time, we are moving
because there are rumors that the Romanov family is playing to escape. Of course this is
false but they will not believe that (Summer and Goldman 40). I am to help them move,
and then I am suppose to leave, go back home to St Petersburg, this has me worried that
something horrible will happen. I hope I am wrong, well I must go help pack yet again.
Dear Journal,
I got a letter from a friend who lives in Ekaterinburg, telling me of the horrible
thing that happened to the Romanov family. On July 17, a truck came for the Romanov
family, late at night (Carrère d'Encausse 273). Twelve men came and told the guards,
“The Romanovs have to go to the basement because the town is not calm” (Carrère
d'Encausse 273). They family got up and dressed, and did as they were told. They went to
a room in the basement that had wooden walls coated with plaster, all the furniture had
been removed (Carrère d'Encausse 273). Alexandra asked for a chair, so that they could

7. sit, and the commandant ordered for two chairs (Carrère d'Encausse 273). Once they were
sitting on the chairs, the commandant had the detachment come in, and he told the
Romanovs that since their relatives were continuing their aggression against Soviet
Russia, the Ural regional soviet had decided to shoot them (Carrère d'Encausse 273). That
is the end of the Romanov family. I am afraid I was right, when I thought something
horrible would happen to them.
The Bolshevik revolution ended the Romanov dynasty. Nicholas II was the last
Tsar of Russia. The Bolshevik came to power because Lenin concentrated on four points.
His first point was for peace in the Central Powers, second he said he would give land to
the poor people, third he would transfer factories and other industries from their owners
to committees of workers, and lastly, he would recognize the soviets, or workers, as the
ruling power to replace the Provisional Government. This is what won over the soldiers,
peasants, and workers: the promise of “peace, land, and bread” (Palmer and Colton 707).
In March of 1918, the Bolsheviks renamed themselves the Communist Party, which
would play a role in World War II (Palmer and Colton 707).

8. Works Cited
Carrère d'Encausse, Hélène. Nicholas II: the Interrupted Transition. New York: Holmes
& Meier Publishers, 2000. Print.
McKay, John, Bennett Hill, John Buckler, Roger Ebrey, Roger Beck, Clare Crowston,
and Merry Wiesner-Hanks. A History of World Societies. Ninth. 2. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.
Palmer, R, and Joel Colton. A History of the Modern World. fifth. New York : Alfred A.
Knopf , 1978. Print.
Rabinowitch, Alexander. The Bolsheviks Come to Power: the Revolution of 1917 In
Petrograd. New York: W.W. Norton, 1976. Print.
Ryan, James. "Tsar Nicholas II." Tsar Nicholas II (2005): 1-2. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web.
Summers, Anthony, and Tom Mangold. The File On the Tsar. 1st U.S. ed. New York:
Harper & Row, 1976. Print.
Volkov, Solomon, and Antonina W Bouis. The Magical Chorus: a History of Russian
Culture From Tolstoy to Solzhenitsyn. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print.