The Last Tzars

The Last Tsars

Join David Price on this course traces the dramatic final century of the Romanov dynasty, exploring the lives, reigns and decisions of Russia’s last emperors. We will focus on Alexander II, Alexander III and Nicholas II, while also looking back to earlier rulers — from Catherine the Great through to Alexander I — to understand how their legacies shaped the turbulent years that followed.

Topics include:

• The reforming zeal of Alexander II, including the emancipation of the serfs

• Reaction and repression under Alexander III

• Nicholas II’s troubled reign and the collapse of imperial authority

• The Crimean War and Russia’s changing place in Europe

• Industrial modernisation and the growth of the railways

• Treatment of minorities and nationalist tensions across the empire

• The 1905 Revolution and the failure of the Duma

• The influence of the Tsarina and Rasputin

• Russia’s descent into World War I and the revolutions of 1917

Across the course, we will discuss the conflict between tradition and reform, the pressures on an expanding empire, and how the decisions of the last Tsars led to the end of a 300-year dynasty and the birth of a new, tumultuous era.