A few days later, the Bolsheviks announced the czar's murder to the world, and the party used the elimination of their biggest enemy to consolidate their political power. Newspapers and party communications played up Nicholas' perceived weakness and denounced his monarchy as evil.
"Nicholas Romanov was essentially a pitiful figure," Pravda, the official party newspaper, after the murders. The editorial called the czar "the personification of the barbarian landowner, of this ignoramus, dimwit, and bloodthirsty savage." The people of Russia had no use for monarchy any more, it continued. "Russian workers and peasants have only one desire: to drive a good aspen-wood stake into this grave cursed by the people."
The official party line was that the czar's wife and family were being cared for in an undisclosed location, but rumors started to swirl about what had happened to Alexandra and her children. Meanwhile, Bolsheviks went on a , killing every Romanov family member and associate they could get their hands on. Twenty-seven others were killed in the next 84 days. Only a few of their remains were ever recovered; the rest were dumped in mass graves or burned beyond recognition.
As Russia became the , the monarchy became a scapegoat, and those who supported the Romanovs went underground with their opinions as the political climate became more and more oppressive. As the years passed, rumors about possible survivors continued to rage, and a number of imposters claimed they were the Romanovs.
YOU ARE READING
The Romanovs
Non-FictionThe Romanov family was the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia. They first came to power in 1613, and over the next 3 centuries, 18 Romanovs took the Russian throne, including Peter the great, Catherine the great, Alexander 1 and Nicholas 2. During...
