Nicholas II - Coursework Example

The unwillingness of Nicholas II to become the czar of Russia in 1894 after the death of his father contributed significantly to his incapability in offering good leadership to the Russians (Pipes, 2011). The lack of leadership skills and desire for leadership, made Nicholas rely on the pieces of advice provided to him by his wife in leading the Russians. This habitual practice made him find it hard not only to recognize the problems of Russians but also to solve them. Nicholas was also very reluctant in making major reforms and decisions that could aid in solving Russia’s problems. Additionally, Nicholas not only relied on individuals who supported his ideas but also enhanced autocracy. This incompetence in leadership catalyzed the problems Russians were going through.

During the reign of Nicholas II, Russians experienced many problems as a result of Nicholas II's incompetency. Russia lagged behind in terms of agriculture, commerce, and industrialization (Hosking, 1993).  Famine as well as high levels of illiteracy also posed a great challenge to the Russians whose population was increasing exponentially; people were allowed to cultivate and grow crops in traces of land. Additionally, the majority of the peasants were also very poor; they did not afford fertilizers leading to unproductive forms of agriculture. In addition, the majority of the peasants were also unhealthy.

In running Russia, Nicholas employed autocratic policies (Hosking, 1993). He believed in himself and wanted everything to be done according to his will. He also advocated foreign policies; he influenced the International Peace Conference that met at The Hague to promote universal peace. Additionally, Nicholas enhanced tsarist policies that began in 1533 by leading Russians. In his reign as a czar, Nicholas rejected some policies that he considered threats to his leadership (Pipes, 2011). For instance, he highly rejected the Russification policy. According to him, this policy was aimed at weakening his autocracy as well as the empire’s political stability.