Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, Alexandra, had firm beliefs in the autocracy and their right to rule that derived from God. However, with growing industrialisation, a corrupt system had to be put in place to prevent any downfall of their dynasty. With the added problems of peasantry, the tsarist regime's neglect to reform and the poor advice of an illiterate and uncultured man, revolution was inevitable. Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra were the foundation for the downfall of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Revolution of 1917.
Tsar Nicholas II was never ready for the tasks that awaited him as the autocratic ruler of a vast empire. The day after his father's death in October 1894 he stated, "I am not ready to be the Tsar. I never wanted to become one. I know nothing - .
Nicholas embodied great personal charm and wit, however he was also nave, indecisive and shy and avoided close contact with his subjects. Nicholas preferred the company of his family, to whom his was very close. He was passionately devoted to Alexandra who "had the strength of character he lacked- . .
Alexandra was also very warm and caring with her family but at functions she was withdrawn and obstinate, leading to her unpopularity with the high Russian society. Alexandra was also German, which made many people distrust her. .
Nicholas II and Alexandra both strongly "believed that the prosperity and continuance of Russia was hinged upon the autocracy- and that God had appointed them the right to rule Russia. Sir Arthur Nicholson, the British Ambassador to Russia in 1906 described Nicholas as, "the gentle but uneducated emperor- who "is weak on every point except his own autocracy."" These characteristics made it hard for Nicholas and Alexandra to comprehend the need for reform in Russia. They both believed in three sacred beliefs: the Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality and these ideologies left little room for new ideas or the development of Russia.