End of the Romanovs

Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II

One of the more notable effects of Russia's involvement in World War One was the subsequent abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, which when combined with Nicholas' brother's (Grand Duke Michael) refusal to take the throne, discontinued the Romanov Dynasty. Tsar Nicholas' forced  abdication came as an after effect of his inability to successfully command the Russian army from the front line while trying to govern, and later control, the Russia home front at the same time. With growing popular discontent, lack of resources and the increasing control of the Duma, Tsar Nicholas II's forced abdication can be seen as inevitable.


For further reading of primary sources relating to the forced abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, follow this link http://www.alexanderpalace.org/palace/abdicationdocs.html
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Exile and Execution

On the 17th of July, 1918, Tsar Nicholas II and his family whom had accompanied him to exile under house arrest by the Provisional Government were executed at the hands of Yakov Yurovsky. There were two main reasons for the execution of the Tsar. Firstly, anti-communist forces continued to fight for the capture of the main cities (and Nicholas Romanov would be a beacon of hope for them) and secondly, by killing Nicholas the Bolsheviks would be considered the legitimate ruling party within Russia.

However, Leon Trotsky, later admitted that the Tsar's daughters were murdered because it would send a psychological message to the Russian people: it would show that there was no turning back and that anything that stood in the way of Communist victory in Russia would be ruthlessly eliminated.

Reading with images of the Royal Family: http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/glimpses-of-the-last-romanov-royal-christmas-held-in-siberia-96-years-ago-this-week/

Controversy/Mystery

For years following the execution of Nicholas and his family, there has been contention concerning whether or not the Romanovs were really killed and if there were any survivors. There continues to be debates on this topic. In fact a woman called Anna Anderson (pictured above) claimed to be the lost Princess Anastasia for a number of years during the 20th century but DNA evidence has proved this is not the case. 

Video: http://www.history.com/topics/russian-revolution/videos/historys-burning-questions-the-romanovs

Recent archaeological proof that they were killed, as the bones of the family were found and exhumed :
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34338802

As you can see, the decline and fall of the Romanov dynasty has sustained the world's attention for almost 100 years since the murder of the Russian imperial family. Controversy surrounding the exhumation of their remains and burial still fills our newspapers and they have become holy figures in the Russian Orthodox church. The last Tsar and his family have been lost but their prominence in history means their story remain relevant and significant to the modern world. 

References

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