Muder Of The Tsar

Question 1

Post 1917

Answer 1

-the tsar had become a forgotten figure after his abdication in March 1917.
-he had few supporters and most of the whites fighting in thr civil war were not doing so to restore the tsar to the throne even if they wanted the return of many other aspects of the regime

Question 2

Prisoner

Answer 2

-the tsar and his family had been kept prisoners after the abdication
-many bolsheviks were fearful that he might become the focus of resistance against the bolsheviks in the civil war

Question 3

July 1918

Answer 3

-the local bolshevik police unit, part of the cheka, was guarding the royal family.
-they shot the whole royal family without the formality of the trial when they heard white troops were nearby.
-their bodies were drenched in acid and thrown into a disused mine shaft

Question 4

Effect on the civil war

Answer 4

-while the death of the ex-tsar and his family was a personal tragedy, it made little difference to the subsequent events
-it did remove a potential figurehead for white armies
-since so few wanted the tsar back in power, his loss can’t be considered of importance in the whites failure to win the war
-although the murder was carried out by local bolsheviks, it was almost certain Lenin authorised the killing- if so this was evidence of the way that Lenins government was moving towards greater radicalisation and terror