His determination to maintain an autocratic system, lack of reform
One cause of the 1905 Russian revolution was Tsar Nicholas II’s determination to maintain an autocratic system, and his refusal for reforms. Nicholas was born into the royal Russian family, the Romanov’s. Since 1613 starting with Tsar Michael Romanov, the Romanov’s had ruled autocratically, so it was understandable that from the beginning of his reign Tsar Nicholas II made it known that he would uphold his families traditions by the continuation of autocracy, “Let it be known to all that I shall devote all my strength for the good of the whole nation, to maintaining the principle of autocracy just as firmly and unflinchingly as it was preserved by my unforgettable father”. Autocracy, meant that…show more content… There were no restrictions or limits to their power. Autocracy functioned with a sole leader, the Tsar, who appointed officials to help him govern, but had the final say on all legal and government issues. There was little freedom of speech or input from the public, as there was no government or voting system under the rule of an autocrat. This amount of unchallenged power was appealing to Tsar Nicholas for obvious reasons – autocracy was strong within the Romanov family, Nicholas’ power could not be questioned, it was the only way of ruling he was familiar with, and at the root of it all he wholly believed autocracy was the only way of keeping Russia functioning properly. Although autocracy was attractive to Tsar Nicholas II for these reasons, there were many flaws in his governing system that indicate autocracy was not as foolproof as he wanted it to be. The Tsars ultimate power highlighted how slow to develop Russia was compared to other European nations who were industrialising and becoming increasingly progressive. For example in 1881 it was still illegal