The Judeo-Bolshevik Revolution: Execution of the Romanov Family.
The second party covering the Judeo-Bolshevik Revolution, a holy war and genocide waged against the Christian Monarchy, lead by Tsar Nicholas II.
The Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 was a moment of political ruin, and an event in world history that drastically altered the course of the 20th century. The revolution was the culmination of years of social unrest, political turmoil, and economic instability within the Russian Empire.
The February Revolution was primarily driven by the Bolsheviks and the discontent of the Russian people, who were already suffering from the hardships of World War I, food shortages, and a general lack of trust in the government. On March 8, 1917, thousands of women in Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) took to the streets to protest against food shortages, high prices, and the ongoing war. This demonstration, which was initially organized by Jewish women, textile workers, quickly gained momentum and turned into a massive strike that brought the city to a standstill.
The women were joined by other workers, and by the end of the day, over 100,000 people were participating in the demonstrations. The protests continued over the next few days, with more and more people joining in. The authorities were unable to control the situation, and on March 15, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate.
This paved the way for the establishment of the Provisional Government, which was led by Alexander Kerensky. In the aftermath of the Tsar's abdication, a provisional government was formed, and a series of reforms were introduced to address the grievances of the people. Kerensky played a main role in the formation of that provisional government. He was appointed as the Minister of Justice and later became the Minister of War and Navy. In July 1917, he became the prime minister of the Provisional Government. One of the main challenges was the growing influence of the Bolsheviks under Lenin's leadership. Lenin was a strong advocate for the immediate transfer of power to the Soviet Union and the establishment of a socialist government. This was in direct opposition to Kerensky's position, as he wanted to continue Russia's participation in World War I and maintain a more moderate approach to the revolution.
Kerensky's leadership was marked by his commitment to continuing Russia's participation in World War I, which was not a popular decision among the people and, of course, against the wishes of the Bolsheviks. Lenin also criticized Kerensky for his inability to address the social and economic issues plaguing the country. Lenin's slogan "Peace, Land, and Bread" resonated with the people, who were tired of the war and facing food shortages. This led to tensions increasing over the months, and Lenin was becoming more vocal against Kerensky.
Vladimir Lenin's newspaper, Pravda, played a significant role in the Russian Revolution of 1917 by disseminating propaganda and rallying support for the Bolshevik cause. The paper was founded in 1912 and became a powerful tool for Lenin to spread his ideas and influence the masses. During the February Revolution, Pravda criticized the Provisional Government and called for the transfer of power to the Soviets. This helped to undermine the government's legitimacy and contributed to the growing support for the Bolsheviks. In April 1917, Lenin returned to Russia from exile with the help of the German government, which saw him as a potential ally in destabilizing the Russian state. Upon his arrival, he published his April Theses in Pravda, outlining his plans for a socialist revolution and calling for an immediate end to Russian participation in World War I. Throughout the summer of 1917, Pravda continued to promote Lenin's ideas and criticize the Provisional Government. In July, the paper was temporarily shut down by the government after the failed July Day uprising. However, this only served to increase its popularity and further solidify support for the Bolsheviks.
The October portion of Revolution, was a pivotal event in Russian history that took place on October 25, 1917 (November 7, 1917, according to the Gregorian calendar). This event marked the seizure of power by the Bolshevik Party, led by Vladimir Lenin, from the Russian Provisional Government. The Provisional Government had been established after the February Revolution earlier that year, which saw the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II. However, the new government faced numerous challenges, including continuing Russia's involvement in World War I, which was highly unpopular among the people.
The Bolsheviks capitalized on the discontent and dissatisfaction with the Provisional Government. They promised "Peace, Land, and Bread" to the people, and their message resonated with the masses. On October 25, 1917, the Bolsheviks staged an armed insurrection in Petrograd, the capital of Russia at the time. The October Revolution was a relatively bloodless coup, with the Bolsheviks successfully overthrowing the Provisional Government and seizing power. The event marked the beginning of the Soviet Union and the establishment of a socialist government in Russia. After the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, which ended Russia's involvement in World War I. In this time the Bolsheviks took Nicholas II and the rest of the Russian Imperial Romanov family captive.
On 22 March 1917, Tsar Nicholas II, deposed as a monarch and addressed by the sentries as "Nicholas Romanov", was reunited with his family at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. He was placed under house arrest with his family by the Provisional Government, and the family was surrounded by guards and confined to their quarters. In August 1917, after a failed attempt to send the Romanovs to the United Kingdom, where the ruling monarch was Nicholas and his wife Alexandra's mutual first cousin, King George V, Alexander Kerensky's provisional government evacuated the Romanovs to Tobolsk, Siberia, allegedly to protect them from the rising tide of revolution. Following the February Revolution in 1917, the Romanovs and their servants had been imprisoned in the Alexander Palace before being moved to Tobolsk, Siberia, in the aftermath of the October Revolution. They were next moved to a house in Yekaterinburg, near the Ural Mountains before their execution in July 1918.
Under the direction of Vasily Yakovlev in April 1918. Alexei, who had severe hemophilia, was too ill to accompany his parents and remained with his sisters Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia, not leaving Tobolsk until May. The family was imprisoned with a few remaining retainers in Yekaterinburg's Ipatiev House, which was designated The House of Special Purpose.
The Ural Regional Soviet agreed in a meeting on June 29th that the entire Romanov family should be executed. Filipp Goloshchyokin arrived in Moscow as a representative of the Soviet on July 3rd with a message insisting on the Tsar's execution. Only 7 of the 23 members of the Central Executive Committee were in attendance, three of whom were Lenin, Sverdlov and Felix Dzerzhinsky. They agreed that the presidium of the Ural Regional Soviet under Beloborodov and Goloshchyokin should organize the practical details for the family's execution and decide the precise day on which it would take place when the military situation dictated it, contacting Moscow for final approval. The killing of the Tsar's wife and children was also discussed, but it was kept a state secret to avoid any political repercussions; German ambassador Wilhelm von Mirbach made repeated enquiries to the Bolsheviks concerning the family's well-being. Another diplomat, British consul Thomas Preston, who lived near the Ipatiev House, was often pressured by Pierre Gilliard, Sydney Gibbes and Prince Vasily Dolgorukov to help the Romanovs.
On July 14th, Yurovsky finalized his plans for the disposal site and how to destroy any evidence in the shortest amount of time as possible. He was in frequent contact with Peter Ermakov, who was in charge of the disposal squad and also claimed to know most of the countryside. Yurovsky wanted to gather the family in a small space, one where they wouldn’t be able to leave. The basement room chosen for this purpose, had a barred window which was nailed shut to muffle any sound, this solidified the basement as the perfect spot for the execution. Yurovsky’s plan was to perform the quickest execution possible, of all 11 prisoners simultaneously. On July 16th, Yurovsky was informed by the Ural Soviets that Red Army contingents were retreating in all directions and the executions could not be delayed any longer. A coded telegram seeking final approval was sent by Goloshchyokin and Georgy Safarov at around 6 pm to Lenin in Moscow. At 8 pm, Yurovsky sent his chauffeur to acquire a truck for transporting the bodies, along with rolls of canvas to wrap them in. The intention was to park it close to the basement entrance, with its engine running, to mask the noise of gunshots. Yurovsky and Pavel Medvedev collected 14 handguns to use that night: two Browning pistols (one M1900 and one M1906), two Colt M1911 pistols, two Mauser C96s, one Smith & Wesson, and seven Belgian-made Nagants. The Nagant operated on old black gunpowder which produced a good deal of smoke and fumes; smokeless powder was only just being phased in. Yurovsky assigned a victim for each killer of the Red Guard.
Later while the Romanovs were having dinner on July 16, 1918, Yurovsky entered the sitting room and informed the family that the chef was leaving to meet his uncle. Preventing the Romanovs of a final meal. Yurovsky felt no need to kill the chef, so he allowed him to be removed before the execution took place. Around midnight on July 17, 1918, Yurovsky ordered the Romanovs physician, Eugene Botkin, to awaken the sleeping family and ask them to put on their clothes, under the lie and pretext that the family would be moved to a safe location due to impending chaos in Yekaterinburg. The Romanovs were then ordered to move to the 20 ft x 16 ft basement room.
Alexandra requested a chair because she was sick, and Nicholas requested a second for Alexei. Yurovsky's assistant Grigory Nikulin remarked to him that the "heir wanted to die in a chair. Very well then, let him have one." The prisoners were told to wait in the cellar room while the truck that would transport them was being brought to the House. A few minutes later, an execution squad of secret police was brought in and Yurovsky read aloud the order given to him by the Ural Executive Committee:
“Nikolai Alexandrovich, in view of the fact that your relatives are continuing their attack on Soviet Russia, the Ural Executive Committee has decided to execute you.”
Nicholas, facing his family, turned and said "What? What?" Yurovsky quickly repeated the order and the weapons were raised. The Empress and Grand Duchess Olga, according to a guard's reminiscence, had tried to bless themselves, but failed amid the shooting. Yurovsky reportedly raised his Colt gun at Nicholas's torso and fired; Nicholas fell dead, pierced with at least three bullets in his upper chest.
The intoxicated Peter Ermakov, the military commissar for Verkh-Isetsk, shot and killed Alexandra with a bullet wound to the head. He then shot at Tatiana, who ran for the double doors, hitting her in the thigh. The remaining executioners shot chaotically and over each other's shoulders until the room was so filled with smoke and dust that no one could see anything at all in the darkness nor hear any commands amid the noise. While waiting for the smoke to abate, the killers could hear moans and whimpers inside the room. As it cleared, it became evident that although several of the family's retainers had been killed, all of the Imperial children were alive and only Tatiana was injured. The noise of the guns had been heard by households all around, awakening many people. The executioners were ordered to use their bayonets, a technique which proved ineffective and meant that the children had to be dispatched by still more gunshots, this time aimed more precisely at their heads. The Tsarevich was the first of the children to be executed. Yurovsky watched in glee as Nikulin spent an entire magazine from his Browning gun on Alexei, who was still seated transfixed in his chair; he also had jewels sewn into his undergarment and forage cap. The drunken Ermakov then shot and stabbed him, and when that failed, Yurovsky shoved him aside and killed the boy with a gunshot to the head. The last to die were Tatiana, Anastasia, and Maria (however, according to Yurovsky's note, Alexei, Olga, Tatiana and Anastasia who were the last to die), who were carrying a few pounds (over 1.3 kilograms) of diamonds sewn into their clothing, which had given them a degree of protection from the firing.
However, they were speared with bayonets as well. Olga sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Maria and Anastasia were said to have crouched up against a wall covering their heads with pillows in terror until they were shot in the head. Yurovsky killed Tatiana and Alexei. Tatiana died from a single shot to the back of her head. Alexei received two bullets to the head, right behind the ear. Anna Demidova, Alexandra's maid, survived the initial onslaught but was quickly stabbed to death against the back wall while trying to defend herself with a small pillow which she had carried that was filled with precious gems and jewels. While the bodies were being placed on stretchers, Anastasia cried out and covered her face with her arm. Ermakov grabbed Alexander Strekotin's rifle and bayoneted her in the chest, but when it failed to penetrate he pulled out his revolver and shot her in the head. The entire execution lasted about 20 minutes in total. The bodies of the Romanovs and their servants were then loaded onto a Fiat truck equipped with a 60 hp engine, with a cargo area measuring 6 ft × 10 ft. It’s noted that Yurovsky became furious when he discovered that the drunken Ermakov had brought only one shovel for the burial. About 800 metres (1⁄2 mile) further on, near the next crossing, on the line serving the Verkh-Isetsk works, 25 men working for Ermakov were waiting with horses and light carts. These men were all intoxicated and they were outraged that the prisoners were not brought to them alive. They expected to be part of the lynch mob. A few of Ermakov's men pawed the female bodies for diamonds hidden in their undergarments, two of whom lifted up Alexandra's skirt and fingered her genitals. Yurovsky became furious again and ordered the men to lay out the bodies on the grass and undress them, they piled up the clothes and burned them. Once the bodies were "completely naked" they were dumped into a mineshaft and doused with sulphuric acid to disfigure them beyond recognition. Only then did Yurovsky discover that the pit was less than 3 meters (9.8 ft) deep and the muddy water below did not fully submerge the corpses as he had expected. He unsuccessfully tried to collapse the mine with hand grenades, after which his men covered it with loose earth and branches. Yurovsky left three men to guard the site while he returned to Yekaterinburg with a bag filled with 8.2 kilograms (18 lb) of looted diamonds, to report back to Beloborodov and Goloshchyokin. It was decided that the pit was too shallow. So they loaded the bodies back into the Fiat truck and transported them towards Porosenkov Log (Piglet’s Ravine). With the men exhausted, most refusing to obey orders and dawn approaching, Yurovsky decided to bury them under the road where the truck had stalled. They dug a grave that was 1.8 by 2.4 meters (6 ft × 8 ft) in size and barely 60 centimeters (2 ft) deep. Alexei Trupp's body was tossed in first, followed by the Tsar's and then the rest. Sulphuric acid was again used to dissolve the bodies, their faces smashed with rifle butts and covered with quicklime. Railroad ties were placed over the grave to disguise it, with the Fiat truck being driven back and forth over the ties to press them into the earth. The burial was completed at 6 am on July 19, 1918. Later, Yurovsky separated the Tsarevich Alexei and one of his sisters to be buried about 15 meters (50 ft) away, in an attempt to confuse anyone who might discover the mass grave with only nine bodies. Since the female body was badly disfigured, Yurovsky mistook her for Anna Demidova; in his report he wrote that he had actually wanted to destroy Alexandra's corpse. Alexei and his sister were burned in a bonfire and their remaining charred bones were thoroughly smashed with spades and tossed into a smaller pit. 44 partial bone fragments from both corpses were even found in August of 2007.
After the execution of the Tsar, the Bolsheviks nationalized industries, implemented agrarian reforms, and introduced a planned economy. These changes had a significant impact on the course of Russian history and the global political landscape. One of the most renowned battles during this period was the storming of the Winter Palace, where the Bolsheviks seized power from the Provisional Government. This event was a dramatic turning point, akin to a cinematic climax, as the Red Guards and workers' militias confronted the palace's defenders. Ultimately, the palace fell, and the Bolsheviks emerged triumphant. Another significant event was the Battle of Pulkovo Heights, where the Bolsheviks faced off against the army of the Provisional Government. In the end the Bolsheviks went on to control Russia and change it to be the land of Communism. This would go on to set a pace in Soviet Russia, that would ultimately end up with the death of 30 million Orthodox Christians. This is the tale of the story, that can’t be forgotten.