S4 – Interview 1_ Douglas Smith

Academic Profile of Dr. Douglas Smith

  • Professional Background: Dr. Douglas Smith is a prestigious, award-winning historian and translator specializing in Russian history.
  • Publications: He has published six books on Russia. His most notable work discussed is Faith, Power, and the Twilight of the Romanovs, a definitive study of Grigori Rasputin.
  • Reputation: His research is considered an essential guide for separating the historical man from the myth, setting a new standard for understanding the Siberian mystic through original archival research.

Origins of the Rasputin Project

  • Serendipitous Focus: Smith did not initially plan to write a biography of Rasputin. While researching his previous book, Former People (which explores the Russian nobility's transition from "riches to rags" after the 1917 Revolution), he constantly encountered the "specter" of Rasputin in primary sources.
  • Centenary Motivation: Around 2010, the author realized the approach of two major centenaries: the murder of Rasputin in 2016 and the Russian Revolution in 2017. He utilized this timing to propose a deep dive into Rasputin's character.
  • Archival Methodology: Unlike previous biographers who Smith claims "regurgitated" notes from existing biographies, he spent six years in archives across:
    • Russia: Moscow and St. Petersburg.
    • Siberia: Tobolsk and Tyumen (Rasputin's home region).
    • International: Paris, Berlin, Vienna, London, Oxford, and the Hoover Institution at Stanford.
  • The Soviet Taboo: Comprehensive research was impossible during the Soviet period as Rasputin was a taboo subject. Post-Soviet access allowed Smith to find police reports, memoirs, and letters that had been hidden for decades.

Rasputin’s Early Life and Siberian Identity

  • The "Black Hole": The first 3030 years of Rasputin's life lack significant documentation, allowing myths to proliferate.
  • Debunking the Horse Thief Myth: Smith found no evidence in the Tobolsk archives to support the common claim that Rasputin was a horse thief in his youth.
  • The "Huskow" Incident: Smith discovered a record in Pokrovskoye of a teenage Rasputin being jailed for a couple of days for using "abusive language toward the local mayor," suggesting a rebellious and ruffian-like spirit early on.
  • Siberia as a Land of Freedom: Contrary to the view of Siberia as a frozen prison for criminals, it was also a place of freedom because serfdom never existed there.
    • Peasant Mindset: While European Russian peasants were often treated like slaves (bought, sold, and abused), Siberian peasants like Rasputin were born free and independent. Smith argues this independence is crucial to understanding how Rasputin later navigated high society without the submissiveness of a former serf.

The Holy Pilgrim (Stranik)

  • Religious Awakening: Around age 2727 or 2828, Rasputin experienced a religious vision and left his family to become a Stranik (holy pilgrim).
  • The "University" of Pilgrimage: He spent years wandering the empire on foot. There were approximately one million such pilgrims in Russia by 1900.
  • Mortification of the Flesh: As a pilgrim, he sometimes wore fetters (chains), lived outdoors, and went long stretches without changing clothes or underwear.
  • Scriptural Mastery: During these years, he learned the Bible inside and out, gaining the ability to quote long passages from memory in an earthy, direct style.
  • Social Critique: His travels exposed him to all classes—nobility, convicts, and peasants. He developed a worldview where the peasants were the backbone of Russia and the elites were "parasites" living off their labor.

The "Silver Age" and St. Petersburg Context

  • Chronology: The Silver Age of Russia (roughly 1890–1914) followed the "Golden Age" of Pushkin.
  • Cultural Flowering: An era of immense artistic productivity featuring figures like Achmatova, Alexander Block, Rachmaninoff, and Diaghilev.
  • Social Disparity: St. Petersburg was a metropolis of glittering elites sitting atop massive ghettos of poor workers.
  • Spiritual Hunger: The fin de siècle (end of the century) period saw an intense fascination with seances, table-turning, hypnotism, the occult, and mysticism. This "dark forces" zeitgeist made the aristocracy particularly receptive to "gurus" like Rasputin.

The Autocracy and the Romanov Family

  • The Rigid System: The Romanovs had ruled since 1613. By the reign of Nicholas II, there was a disconnect between a dynamic, growing economy and a static, 17th-century political system claiming power directly from God.
  • Nicholas II: Characterized as weak, passive, indecisive, and isolated in a "gilded cage" due to terrorist threats (e.g., the 1881 assassination of Alexander II).
  • Empress Alexandra: German-born, brittle, determined, shy, and profoundly mystical. She sought ways to make Nicholas a more powerful ruler.
  • The Black Crows: The Montenegrin sisters (grand duchesses) who introduced Nicholas and Alexandra to occult figures.
  • Monsieur Philippe: A French necromancer and seer who preceded Rasputin. He claimed to influence the sex of an unborn child using "magnetic electric energy." When forced to leave, he prophesied that "our friend" would eventually come to take his place.

The Hemophilia Secret and the Royal Heir

  • The Crisis: Alexei, the long-awaited male heir, was born with hemophilia. The family kept this a closely guarded secret, fearing it would undermine the dynasty if the public knew the heir was diseased.
  • Rasputin as Healer: While often cited as the reason he entered the palace, Smith notes that Rasputin was initially invited as a spiritual "friend"/monarchist advisor during the 1905 Revolution prior to his reputation as a healer being cemented.
  • Clinical Analysis of Healing: At Spala (Poland) in 1912, Rasputin seemingly healed Alexei via a telegram sent from Siberia. Smith suggests the healing might be attributed to:
    1. Rasputin telling the doctors to stop "poking and prodding," which actually helped blood clotting.
    2. His calming influence on Alexandra, which in turn calmed the child.

Growth of Influence and Resistance

  • Ecclesiastical Bridge: Rasputin entered St. Petersburg in 1904/1905 with letters of recommendation from church higher-ups who saw him as a "burning torch" of revitalized faith.
  • The Royal Favorite Paradox: Rasputin functioned as a "royal favorite" (akin to Potemkin for Catherine the Great), an informal advisor who shares the emotional burden of rule.
    • Distinctions: Unlike typical favorites, Rasputin never lived in the palace, never sought noble titles, and did not accumulate vast wealth.
  • Enemies on the Right: Resistance came from aristocrats and monarchists who felt Rasputin was tarnishing the throne. High cabinet members like Prime Minister Stolypin tried to banish him, but Alexandra's refusal—and Nicholas's desire to avoid her "hysterical fits"—kept him in place.
  • The Conflict with the Duma: By 1912, public denunciations of Rasputin by figures like Guchkov in the Duma (parliament) created an irreparable rift between the throne and the government.

The "Troika" and Blood Enemies

  • Iliador and Germogen: Originally, these two right-wing, antisemitic priests formed a "troika" with Rasputin.
  • The 1911 Rupture: Detecting weakness in Rasputin's standing, they summoned him to a meeting, accused him of being the Antichrist, and physically attacked him with a cross, attempting to force him back to Siberia. This backfired, strengthening Rasputin's bond with the Empress and resulting in Iliador becoming a bitter apostate.

Debunking the Myths of Debauchery and Spying

  • The Yar Restaurant Incident (1915): The famous story of Rasputin exposing himself and drunkenly shouting about the Empress is exposed by Smith as a fabrication.
    • Evidence: Secret police archives show the original report recorded a quiet dinner.
    • Fabrication: General Vladimir Dzhunkovsky, Rasputin's enemy, pressured Moscow police to "sex up" the report with scandalous lies to convince Nicholas to exile him.
  • Sexual Rumors: While Rasputin was a known lech who "pawed" at women, Smith is 99.9%99.9\% certain he never had a sexual relationship with Alexandra. The rumors were largely fueled by a stolen letter published by Iliador where she spoke of resting her head on his shoulder.
  • German Spy Allegations: During WWI, widespread rumors claimed Rasputin and "the German woman" (Alexandra) were selling secrets to Germany. Smith finds no evidence for this, noting they actually feared Nicholas going to the front because his generals were more impressionable than they were.

The Menacing Cloud (The WWI Prophecy)

  • Anti-War Stance: Rasputin was a man of peace who warned Nicholas against mobilization. He believed war would lead to the destruction of the Russian people.
  • The 1914 Letter: While recovering from an assassination attempt by Khioniya Guseva in Tyumen, Rasputin wrote a letter to Nicholas.
    • Verbatim Core: "A menacing cloud is over Russia… a sea of tears, immeasurable… I know they all want war from you… this means ruin… Yes, they'll conquer Germany, but what of Russia? … drowned in her own blood."

The Murder of Rasputin

  • Felix Yusupov: A dandy from one of Russia's wealthiest families who became obsessed with killing Rasputin to "save Russia."
  • The Murder Legend: Yusupov's memoirs claim Rasputin was poisoned with cyanide, shot multiple times, and still rose to attack his killers before being drowned. Smith dismisses this as a "web of lies" designed to make Yusupov look like "Saint Michael slaying the dragon."
  • Autopsy Reality: Photographs show Rasputin was shot three times at close range, with the fatal shot delivered point-blank to the center of the forehead. There was likely no poison involved.
  • The British Theory: Rumors persist that British intelligence orchestrated the murder to prevent a separate peace with Germany. While a British Enfield pistol may have been the weapon, Smith notes that many Russian officers and Okhrana agents were also issued Enfield revolvers as sidearms.

The Final Prophecy and Legacy

  • Maria Rasputin's Letter: Shortly before his death, Maria found a letter among her father's belongings that predicted his own death and the ensuing chaos: "Men without number will perish… Brothers will be slain by their brothers. The earth will tremble. Famine and pestilence will reign."
  • Historical Scapegoat: Smith concludes that Rasputin has been the ultimate historical scapegoat. While he was flawed, placing the entire fall of the Romanov dynasty on his shoulders is "simplistic and incorrect." If Rasputin had never existed, Smith argues the war and revolution likely would have still happened due to the rigid political structure of the autocracy.

Questions & Discussion

  • Source Material: Researcher Sam Alberti and writer Carl Nellis discussed the revelations found in the archives.
  • Question (Nellis): What brought you to focus on Rasputin specifically?
    • Response: Smith noted the marketing opportunity of the centenary and the curiosity he developed while studying the 1% (nobility) and seeing Rasputin's influence in their final years.
  • Question (Alberti): What makes the history of Rasputin so difficult to trace?
    • Response: Previous authors largely regurgitated old stories because Soviet archives were closed. Smith emphasizes that the first 3030 years are a "black hole" filled with unrefuted lies.
  • Question (Nellis): To what extent was Rasputin responsible for the fall of the Romanovs?
    • Response: Smith argues that he was a piece of the puzzle, but the aristocracy used him as a convenient excuse for their own failures in governing a changing nation.