WI: Nicholas II dies in 1913

All true. However, Russia was in a very precarious time in its history. On the surface Russia was fine but dig a little deeper and you'll see that Russia's in deep trouble. Removing Nicholas II and Alexandra would go very far in stabilizing the situation. If Russia could get farther in its industrialization and manage to stabilize the Government then its certainly possible that we could see a Russian Monarchy today.

Pretty much, in the long-run the Russian Empire would have had to deal with the same problems as other empires of its sort (i.e. being a multinational empire in an age of nationalism, and the inherent contradictions that that entails), but I entirely agree with you. The system was in an extremely vulnerable transition period, but an incompetent ruler and an even more disastrous involvement in the Great War pretty much brought that vulnerable system down.

In the end, I think things like Russian nationalism would still have been a big issue though. The Russian Empire feared almost all forms of nationalism, even that of the people for whom it was named, because it was inflexible and it meant that traditional arrangements couldn't always work out any more. In the Baltic, for example, the Tsars were traditionally quite happy to use the Baltic German nobility as administrators and enforcers of Russian rule, but the advent of nationalism amidst the Russian people during a war with Germany turned the Baltic Germans from a reliable, valuable component of the empire into a potentially disloyal enemy in the eyes of the people.
 
Was even half of what was said about Rasputin death even true? I mean the only person who told what happened was Prince Felix Yusupov. He's not the most trustworthy person. The story was probably embellished heavily over the years.

You might well be shocked by just how physically robust some people can be.
 
Rasputin's death as noted by Yusupov is mostly fabrication, when Rasputin attacked Yusupov after his poisoning, which failed due to the cyanide being made ineffective by being baked in an oven. Rasputin was most likely killed by Grand Duke Dimitry who was a skilled marksman instead of who Yusupov said shot him. With Nicholas dead it would help if someone with backbone and common sense took the throne.
 
Rasputin's death as noted by Yusupov is mostly fabrication, when Rasputin attacked Yusupov after his poisoning, which failed due to the cyanide being made ineffective by being baked in an oven. Rasputin was most likely killed by Grand Duke Dimitry who was a skilled marksman instead of who Yusupov said shot him. With Nicholas dead it would help if someone with backbone and common sense took the throne.

No doubt completely true. Grand Duke Dimitri was high in the line of succession and there was talk of him marrying Grand Duchess Olga, Nicholas II's oldest daughter, so of course the conspirators would want to try to protect his reputation.
 
You are greatly exaggerating the value of Rasputin. He really had an impact on the queen, but Nicholas II treated him with disdain. Of the hundreds of notes Rasputin King on the appointment of new ministers, only two match, and even then probably accidentally, with real assignments.
Rumors about his omnipotence disbanded Rasputin himself.
 
Pretty much, in the long-run the Russian Empire would have had to deal with the same problems as other empires of its sort (i.e. being a multinational empire in an age of nationalism, and the inherent contradictions that that entails), but I entirely agree with you. The system was in an extremely vulnerable transition period, but an incompetent ruler and an even more disastrous involvement in the Great War pretty much brought that vulnerable system down.

In the end, I think things like Russian nationalism would still have been a big issue though. The Russian Empire feared almost all forms of nationalism, even that of the people for whom it was named, because it was inflexible and it meant that traditional arrangements couldn't always work out any more. In the Baltic, for example, the Tsars were traditionally quite happy to use the Baltic German nobility as administrators and enforcers of Russian rule, but the advent of nationalism amidst the Russian people during a war with Germany turned the Baltic Germans from a reliable, valuable component of the empire into a potentially disloyal enemy in the eyes of the people.
I can not agree. Nicholas was quite competent, but too conservative. The public has been agreed for the republic, even a constitutional monarchy does not suit anyone.
 
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