Tsuyoshi Hasegawa is a historian specializing in Russian and Soviet history. A professor emeritus at UC Santa Barbara, he has written acclaimed books on the Russian Revolution, Stalin, and World War II.

In this interview, we explore the dramatic fall of Tsar Nicholas II and the end of the Romanov dynasty. In 1917, amid war and social unrest, Nicholas abdicated, marking the collapse of Imperial Russia. But was his downfall inevitable? Or was it the result of poor leadership and an unyielding belief in autocracy?

Drawing from newly uncovered archives, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa reveals how Nicholas II’s resistance to reform doomed the monarchy. We examine the power struggles within the Russian elite, the Tsar’s fateful missteps, and the political chaos that paved the way for the Bolsheviks and the Soviet Union.

What were the crucial mistakes that sealed Nicholas’s fate? Could the Romanovs have survived with different leadership? Together with Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, we uncover these answers and explore the forces that shaped Russia’s turbulent transformation.

Tsuyoshi's book on Nicholas II: https://amzn.eu/d/6AHdN83

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction02:03 Why is understanding the abdication important? 04:28 The start of Nicholas's reign06:41 Nicholas II broke Machiavelli’s rules16:06 Abdication drama22:55 Nicholas II breaks the succesion law29:28 Bonapartism in Russia30:22 What happened after Nicholas II resigned?36:38 Relationship with his family40:20 Lesson for future politicians

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