How did the different rulers lead?

Which three members of the Romanov dynasty ruled Russia between 1855 and 1917?

Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II.

What were the full birth names of the three main Communist leaders who ruled Russia after October 1917 until 1964?

Vladimir Illyich Ulyanov (Lenin), Josif Vissarionovich Dzugashvili (Stalin), and Nikita Khrushchev.

What was the occupation of Lenin's father?

He was a provincial school inspector.

Where was Joseph Stalin born, and what was his father's occupation?

Stalin was born in Gori in Georgia, and his father was a cobbler.

What early work experience did Nikita Khrushchev begin at age 15 in Yuzovka?

He began work as a pipe fitter.

Which Russian ruler between 1855 and 1964 was the only one who performed manual work and had the least formal education?

Nikita Khrushchev.

Which subjects were included in the modern curriculum studied by Alexander II?

Mathematics, Physics, History, Political Economy, and Law.

Which foreign languages were known by Alexander III?

German, French, and English.

Who was the reactionary tutor shared by both Alexander III and Nicholas II?

Konstantin Pobedonostev.

What pre-ruler travel experience was undertaken by Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II?

Alexander II toured Siberia and met political exiles; Alexander III commanded forces in the Russo-Turkish War 1877-78; Nicholas II traveled in the Far East and was nearly assassinated in Japan.

Who did Alexander II marry, and how was she described by an American visitor in 1871?

He married German princess Marie of Hesse, who was described as a tall stately lady with a sad face and the appearance of an aristocratic invalid.

On what date did Alexander III marry Princess Dagmar of Denmark, and what name did she take?

He married Princess Dagmar of Denmark on 9 November 1866, and she took the name Maria Feederovna.

Whom did Nicholas II choose to marry, and whose place did she take?

He married Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt in Germany, who took the place of his mistress, the ballerina Kschessinska.

What were the names and circumstances of Nikita Khrushchev's three wives?

His first wife Yefrasina died in the famine of 1921; he left his second wife, a peasant girl called Marusa; and he lived with Nina Petrovna for over 40 years before marrying her in the 1960s.

Which Empress was the only wife of a Russian ruler in this period to exert political influence and later suffer execution?

Empress Alix, whose favourite Rasputin was allowed power and influence.

Which two rulers came to power with a view to reforming an existing system, and how did their rules end?

Alexander II and Nikita Khrushchev; Alexander II ended by assassination in 1881, while Khrushchev ended by a humiliating removal from power in 1964.

How did Alexander III demonstrate his physical strength during a railway accident?

By holding up the roof of a carriage to rescue his family.

How is Nicholas II characterized regarding his personality and conservatism?

He had the weakest personality, was the finest featured and most sensitive, but possessed a rigid and unthinking conservatism that failed to come to terms with Russia's problems.

Why did Lenin describe Stalin as "Asiat"?

To characterize him as someone from Asiatic Russia with a different outlook and traditions.

What background connections existed between Aleksandr Fedorovich Kerensky and Lenin?

Both came from Simbirsk; Kerensky's father taught Lenin briefly; and both studied law at St. Petersburg University.

What government posts did Aleksandr Fedorovich Kerensky hold prior to becoming Prime Minister in July 1917?

He served as Minister of Justice and then Minister of War.

Who were the Social Revolutionaries (SRs), and who founded their party in 1901?

They were heirs of 19th-century radical intellectuals who advocated peasant democracy and land redistribution, forming a party in 1901 under Victor Chernov.

What is the Duma, and when and where did the first Duma meet?

The Duma is the Russian word for State Assembly or Parliament; the first Duma met in 1906 in the Tauride Palace in St. Petersburg.

What was the Trudoviks group, and who was its most famous member?

A group of peasant deputies and intellectuals (Toilers' or Labouring people's group) numbering 130-140 members in the first and second Dumas; Aleksandr Fedorovich Kerensky was their most famous member.

Which Trudovik minister played a leading part in trying to suppress the Bolsheviks in 1917?

Zarduny.

What artistic or musical pursuits did Alexander II and Alexander III engage in?

Alexander II admired art, while Alexander III played the French horn and read widely.

What was the former name of Yuzovka, and where is it located?

It was later named Stalino, and is located in the Donets Basin in Ukraine (now Donetsk).

How did Lenin's pragmatic political approach compare to that of the Tsars?

Like the Tsars, Lenin made pragmatic reforms while keeping the basic power structure intact, retaining a fundamental belief in Communism rather than autocracy.

Why did Kerensky fail to maintain Russia's brief period of constitutional government?

He failed to cope with war, bungled an attempt to use the army to increase government authority, and lacked the ruthlessness of Lenin and Stalin to put power before all other considerations.

What six categories are outlined in this comparative framework chart for analyzing Russian rulers from 1855 to 1964?

Family (background, nationality, marriage etc.), Leadership qualities (education, talents, abilities etc.), Personality/Appearance, Attitudes to reform and change, Length of rule, and Reasons for end of rule.