Rasputin: Mysteries of a Monk's Life and Death By Mia Hodorovich 2017

Transcription

1 Name: Class: Rasputin: Mysteries of a Monk's Life and Death By Mia Hodorovich 2017 After three centuries of rule, the Romanov Dynasty in Russia collapsed in Among the many stories that arose out of this turbulent time, few are as intriguing or haunting as the accounts surrounding one historical figure: Rasputin. As you read, take notes on how the author presents differing opinions on Rasputin s life and death. [1] On January 1, 1917, 1 Russian police pulled a body from the Neva River. Having been submerged in the icy waters, the corpse was frozen solid. But even beneath the swath of dark hair matted with ice and blood, there was little doubt who the victim was. Rumors surrounding the disappearance of a royal advisor had been circulating throughout St. Petersburg 2 for days. The man pulled from the river was identified as none other than the Mad Monk himself, Grigori Rasputin. Mystery still enshrouds the historical figure of Rasputin. What little is known about him is clouded by hearsay, rumors, and legend. Many accounts are contradictory, portraying him as everything from a simple man of faith to a sexually deviant 3 drunkard. However, one thing is certain: his scandalous presence in the imperial court helped discredit the tsarist government and contributed to the decline of the Romanovs in the wake of the Russian Revolution. Humble Beginnings "Grigory Rasputin, Major General Putyatin and Colonel Loman" by Karl Bulla is in the public domain. Grigori Rasputin grew up in the small village of Pokrovskoye and led the unremarkable life of a Siberian peasant. Local records show that he was occasionally charged with minor offenses, such as excessive drinking and petty theft. As a peasant he received no formal education and was illiterate until early adulthood. At age 19, he married a local girl named Praskovya Dubrovina, and the couple had three children. 1. In the Russian calendar, it was December 19, the capital of imperial Russia 3. Deviant (adjective): different from what is considered normal or acceptable 1

2 In 1897, Rasputin traveled to the St. Nicholas Monastery in Verkhoturye. 4 Whatever prompted this spiritual pilgrimage is unclear from avoiding legal punishment to experiencing a divine vision but he returned a changed man. He spent the following years as a strannik, or pilgrim, wandering the country to visit various holy sites. [5] Rasputin soon made a name for himself wandering as far as Greece. During his travels, he developed unorthodox practices and amassed followers, mostly women. Despite his unkempt appearance, Rasputin was a charismatic man. As Simon Sebag Montefiore notes in his book The Romanovs, Rasputin was utterly self-possessed and his charm rough and simple. Eventually, he caught the attention of senior members of the imperial Romanov family. In 1905, he was introduced to Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, tsar and tsarina 5 of Russia. However, it wasn t until 1906 that he made a remarkably strong impression, as the tsar later told Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin. Power to Heal This strong impression was no doubt due to his ability to heal their youngest child and heir, Alexei Nikolaevich. The little tsarevich was born with hemophilia. 6 During Rasputin s visit in 1906, the anxious parents asked Rasputin to pray over the child, who had been suffering a minor bleed, and within a few days Alexei improved. Rasputin s healing abilities solidified his position in the imperial family s inner circle; according to Montefiore, without the misfortune of Alexei s hemophilia Rasputin would have never achieved what he did. Historians continue to debate how Rasputin was able to heal the young tsarevich. Some claim that he was blessed with a power to heal. Other sources suggest that Rasputin was adept at hypnotism or Siberian folk medicine. Author Douglas Smith argues that his ability to reassure Alexandra gave her an unshakeable confidence 7 that helped will her son back to health. One final theory suggests that it was Rasputin s insistence on keeping the doctors away from Alexei to help keep mother and patient calm. It also had the unintentional benefit of preventing the administration of aspirin, which thinned the blood and stopped it from clotting. For a hemophiliac like Alexei, this would have only caused him more suffering. 4. a Russian town in the Ural Mountains 5. Tsar, tsarina, and tsarevich refer to the emperor, his wife, and the emperor s heir, respectively. 6. a disorder in which a person s blood does not clot normally, which leads to frequent and excessive bleeding 7. from Rasputin: Faith, Power and the Twilight of the Romanovs by Douglas Smith 2

3 A Controversial Advisor Over the following decade, Rasputin s role extended beyond mystic healer. He became their confidant, 8 calming Alexandra and emboldening Nicholas as tsar. By World War I, Rasputin was advising them on political matters as well. In 1915, Nicholas II dismissed his commander of the Russian armed forces, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, and assumed the role himself. Not only was Nicholas an incompetent war leader but he also made the mistake of leaving the tsarina and by extension, Rasputin to oversee domestic affairs in his place. Rasputin made recommendations for government positions that were often self-serving, incompetent, and ultimately disastrous for the regime. 9 For example, he pressured Alexandra to urge Nicholas to appoint Alexander Protopopov, one of Rasputin s disciples, as Minister of the Interior. Protopopov had little experience for the position and was mentally unstable due to an advanced bacterial infection that affected his brain. His appointment caused tension among the tsar s ministers and in the Duma. 10 The new prime minister, Alexander Trepov, threatened to resign unless the tsar dismissed Protopopov and exiled Rasputin. Many of the Russian elite resented Rasputin and blamed him for the precipitous 11 political climate, which had been in crisis long before he arrived in St. Petersburg. His presence was inexplicable to everyone outside of the immediate royal family who were unaware of Alexei s condition. His influential power despite his peasant status, strange behavior, and lack of education was not only infuriating to those who wanted the same sway over the tsar but it was also extremely suspicious. Some speculated that the monk was a charlatan, 12 a hypnotist, or even an occultist. 13 Others believed that Alexandra was having an affair with Rasputin, which fed into the rumors that they were spies for Germany. 14 He became a propaganda figure for revolutionaries: a symbol of corruption in the ruling class. Eventually, the animosity reached a breaking point, and a handful of people notably Prince Felix Yusupov, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Vladimir Purishkevich plotted to murder the Mad Monk. Death of a Mystic [10] On December 30, 1916, Yusupov invited Rasputin into his home shortly after midnight. According to the prince, he first attempted to poison him with cyanide-laced tea, cakes, and wine, but to no effect. Yusupov then shot Rasputin in the chest but was later shocked to discover Rasputin still alive. The wounded mystic attacked Yusupov and fled outside. In his 1928 memoir, Yusupov recalls this ferocious struggle this devil who was dying of poison, who had a bullet in his heart, must have been raised from the dead by the powers of evil. Rasputin was shot twice more, possibly by a drunk Purishkevich. The conspirators drove the body to the Great Petrovsky Bridge and disposed of it in the river. One story, unconnected to Yusupov s account, noted that water was found in Rasputin s lungs, suggesting that he was still alive when submerged. 8. Confidant (noun): a close friend or trusted adviser 9. from The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore 10. a legislative assembly that constitutes part of the Russian government 11. Precipitous (adjective): sudden and dramatic 12. Charlatan (noun): a person who falsely claims to have special abilities 13. someone who believes in and follows supernatural practices 14. Alexandra was originally a German princess, Alix of Hesse, and was not popular among the Russian people. They thought of her as cold and distant. When WWI broke out, she became a target of anti-german sentiments, though she was not well-liked to begin with. 3

4 However, most stories surrounding the murder are likely exaggerated. The official examination performed by Dr. Dmitri Kosorotov reportedly found no signs of poisoning or drowning. Rasputin s own daughter, Maria, questioned the accuracy of Yusupov s account. Rasputin likely died instantly after a close range shot to the head: a far less dramatic end. The royal family attended a small funeral for Rasputin on January 2, 1917; neither his daughters or his widow were invited. While the royal family mourned, Rasputin s death was celebrated by the elite. The public, on the other hand, had mixed responses to the killing. Some loyal to the crown believed Rasputin had been an evil influence and were glad to see him gone. Others viewed his place among nobility as a rare accomplishment for a peasant, and so they saw his murder by wealthy men as another example of the aristocracy manipulating the tsar. The death of a Siberian mystic did little to solve Russia s political climate or quell social unrest as the conspirators had hoped it would. Barely two months after Rasputin s death, mass protests and armed conflicts erupted in the streets. This eight-day period of unrest, known as the February Revolution, resulted in Nicholas II s abdication 15 and the end of the Romanov dynasty. In this way, Rasputin s death signaled the beginning of the end of the era. Rasputin: Mysteries of a Monk's Life and Death by Mia Hodorovich. Copyright 2017 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY- NC-SA the act of giving up one s throne 4

5 Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. PART A: Which TWO statements best describe the central ideas of the passage? A. Differing accounts exist about the life and death of Rasputin, a mysterious and controversial historical figure. B. Rasputin spent decades gaining the royal family s trust so that he could eventually rule the Russian Empire. C. Rasputin was a divine man whose powers of prediction made him a valued advisor to the royal family. D. Although accounts often portray Rasputin as a supernatural individual, he was in reality just a German spy. E. Rasputin s relationship with the royal family contributed to the instability of the Russian Empire in its final years. F. After the peasant Rasputin s death, his infuriated followers took to the streets and sparked the Russian Revolution. 2. PART B: Which TWO quotes from the text best support the answer to Part A? A. the corpse was frozen solid. But even beneath the swath of dark hair matted with ice and blood, there was little doubt who the victim was. (Paragraph 1) B. Mystery still enshrouds the historical figure of Rasputin. What little is known about him is clouded by hearsay, rumors, and legend. (Paragraph 2) C. his scandalous presence in the imperial court helped discredit the tsarist government and contributed to the decline of the Romanovs (Paragraph 2) D. Others believed that Alexandra was having an affair with Rasputin, which fed into the rumors that they were spies for Germany. (Paragraph 9) E. Others viewed his place among nobility as a rare accomplishment for a peasant, and so they saw his murder by wealthy men as another example of the aristocracy manipulating the tsar. (Paragraph 12) F. Barely two months after Rasputin s death, mass protests and armed conflicts erupted in the streets. (Paragraph 13) 3. How does paragraph 8 contribute to the development of ideas in the passage? A. Paragraph 8 describes the peak of Rasputin s power by illuminating both his tremendous influence as well as the seeds of his downfall. B. Paragraph 8 discusses Rasputin s desire for power, which continued to grow even after he had achieved the position of prime minister. C. Paragraph 8 explains some of the motivations that lay behind Rasputin s plot to take over the domestic affairs of Russia s government. D. Paragraph 8 furthers the author s argument that Rasputin was just an ordinary individual by showing that he often exercised poor judgment. 5

6 4. Which statement best describes how the author addresses conflicting historical perspectives on Rasputin in the text? A. The author describes the controversy surrounding Rasputin without citing different perspectives on his life and death. B. The author presents contradictory accounts in order to show that historians know nothing about who Rasputin really was. C. The author only includes evidence that supports her assertions about Rasputin s character and qualities. D. The author introduces different viewpoints in order to create a complex portrait of Rasputin. 5. What connection does the author draw between Rasputin and the political instability of the tsarist government? 6

7 Discussion Questions Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion. 1. The presence of Rasputin damaged the royal family s image in the eyes of the Russian people. How do you think you would respond if someone like Rasputin became influential in the United States? Under what conditions would you be okay with such an advisor? What would make such an advisor unacceptable, in your opinion? 2. The author presents varying perspectives on Rasputin throughout the text. Which accounts do you find the most believable? Which do you find the least believable, and why? 3. In the context of the text, how does fear impact a person s decisions? Do you think the tsarina Alexandra s actions were motivated mostly by fear, by trust, or by something else? Explain your response with evidence from the text. 7