PRELUDE TO THE REVOLUTION:

THE MURDER OF RASPUTIN

By

Ronald C. Moe

PRELUDE TO THE REVOLUTION:THE MURDER OF RASPUTIN

Preface iiiTable of Contents viiIntroduction 1

I. St. Petersburg – 1903 A Special Visitor 15The Romanov Family 23Nicholas and Alexandra 40Canonization of Serafim 54

II. Russian Empire in Crisis Autocracy Defined, Defended and Defeated 75The Occult and Precursors to Rasputin 95Police, Provocateurs and the Rise of the Right 105The Meeting 118

III. “Our Friend” 139Rasputin: The Early Years 139The Tsarevich and Hemophilia 147Anna and the Rasputin Circle 157Rasputin and Iliodor: Mortal Combat 168

IV. Rasputin Ascendent and Challenged The Duma Speaks Out 203The Princes Yusupov 213Prince Felix the Privileged 221The Future Conspirators 231

V. Last Years of Peace Halcyon Days 253Rasputin at Home 265Iliodor’s Revenge 272Russia Enters the War 278

VI. First Year of the War From Elation to Despair 301The Great Retreat and the Moscow Riots 315Nicholas Assumes Command and the Rise of the Progressive Bloc 330Rasputin and the Police 343

viii Prelude To The Revolution

VII. Monarchy Discredited Empress and Rasputin Appear to Rule Russia 367Khvostov Scandal 378Calumnies, Myths, and the Rasputin Legend 389The Tsars Increasingly Isolated 405

VIII. The Decision to Murder Rasputin on the Crest 429Stumbling Toward Revolution 436The Duma Erupts 451Last Warnings 459

IX. Death in the Cellar Felix Gathers Conspirators 489“Vanya Has Arrived” 505December 16th 521Murder By Degrees 526

X. The Aftermath Failed Deceit 547Rasputin’s Burial 561Banishment and Talk of Palace Coups 573The February Revolution 585

XI. The Apocalypse Fate of Rasputin and the Imperial Family 619Romanovs: Escape or Die 636Conspirators, Courtiers, and Politicians: Their Stories 643Prince Felix: World Celebrity 659

XII. Selected Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

“The shot fired at Rasputin killed tsarist Russia.” Vasili Shulgin1

“Without Rasputin, there could have been no Lenin.” Alexander Kerensky2

This is the story of the dissolution of a mighty empire and of the man, Grigory Rasputin, whose murder sealed its fate. The Russian Empire at the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896 was one of the largest, territorially, in the history of the world, stretching from Warsaw in the west to Vladivostok in the east, from the White Sea in the north to Tbilisi in the south. The Tsar was autocrat of more than 180 million souls.3 The nineteenth century had witnessed the consolidation of this empire and also the rise of ideas and movements that placed the empire at risk.

In addition to being an autocrat, the Tsar was head of the Romanov dy-nasty and family. The Romanovs celebrated three hundred years of family rule in 1913, but signs of change were everywhere. For the educated class the question was whether the political and social changes underway would be transitional and peaceful, following the English model of the eighteenth and nineteenth centu-ries or abrupt and violent, as had been the case of France in 1789. In February 1917, with the collapse of the government and the Tsar’s abdication, the answer to this question was given. The changes were to be abrupt, apocalyptical, and permanent.

When Nicholas was crowned Tsar in 1896, he became autocrat of all the Russias. All authority resided in his person. The autocratic principle, however, was already under attack from many quarters for many reasons. The poor show-ing of the Russian armies in the Russo-Japanese War had discredited the autoc-racy and there were strikes and uprisings across Russia. The price of peace to the Tsar was the assignment of extended rights to the citizenry and the granting of a semi-constitutional government centered in a legislative Duma in Octo-ber 1905. After a brief period with Sergei Witte as his first Premier, Nicholas appointed Peter Stolypin. Under the latter’s capable leadership (1906-1911), relations between the Tsar’s government and the new Duma were becoming cooperative and productive. Economic development continued apace until in

476 Prelude To The Revolution

Rasputin and his admirers, 1915. Far left standing is Sana Pistolkors and her husband, Al-exander. Standing second in second row is Anna Vyrubova. Seated immediately to Rasputin’s right is Munia Golovina. The gentleman standing next to the table is Efim, Rasputin’s father.

Rasputin in Tyumen hospital recovering from stab-bing. From this bed Rasputin wrote telegrams to the Tsar and Tsarina pleading against entering the war.

Chionia Guseva. Disfigured lady, un-der Iliodor’s instructions, stabbed Ras-putin in Pokrovskoe on 28 June 1914.

708 Prelude To The Revolution

Youssoupoff v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.” Atlantis. 2(June 2000): 16-30.Wegerer, Alfred von. “The Russian Mobilization of 1914.” Political Science Quar-

terly. 43(June 1928): 201-28. Wilcox, E.H. “Manasevitch-Manouloff.” Fortnightly Review. (October 1917):

568-80.-----. “Miasoyedoff’s Treachery.” Fortnightly Review. (August 1917): 267-76.Wortman, Richard S. “‘Invisible Threads’: The Historical Imagery of the Ro-

manov Tercentenary.” Russian History. 16(1989): 389-408.Wolfe, Bertram D. “Lenin and the Agent Provocateur Malinovsky.” Russian

Review. (Autumn 1945): 49-69.

VII. Doctoral Dissertations and Other Documents

Kilcoyne, Martin. The Political Influence of Rasputin. Ph.D diss. University of Washington 1961.

Kulikowski, Mark. Rasputin and the Fall of the Romanovs. Ph.D diss. State University of New York at Binghamton 1982.

IX. Interviews

Georgi Blyumin. Moscow, Russia. July 1992, December 1995, December 1998.Victor M. Contreras. Cuernavaca, Mexico. March 2008, March 2009..Prince George Galitzine. St. Petersburg, Russia. October 1987.Franz Hohenlohe (Prince). Desert Hot Springs, California. April 1996.Marvin Lyons. Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. July 1994.Countess Marie Madelaine Mordvinov. Paris, France. 1994.Serge Trufanoff. New York State. July 2001, May 2005.Alexis Shcherbatov (Prince). New York City. May 1993.Xenia Sifris, neé Countess Xenia Nicholaevna Cheremeteff. Athens, Greece. April 1993. St. Petersburg, July 1998.Countess Natalya Sumarakov-Elston. London, England. December 1995.Ian Vorres. Washington D.C. March 1996.Nicholas Vyrubov. Paris. November 1997.______________