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Discuss the reign of Nicholas II and analyze the reasons for his failures. The idea that anything Nicholas II could have done to change the course of history would be wishful thinking. Russia before 1917 was the largest country in the world. In economic terms it was backward as it was late industrializing and late to emerge from feudalism. In political terms it was also backward, with no legal political parties or any centrally elected government. …

…It seems Nicholas was a man doomed to his fate. The country was far down the road to revolution when he became tsar. The lack of any historical basis for change from the backward autocratic system as was the case in other European countries and the lack of industrialization made Russia nothing more than a feudal realm. In the midst of democratic and social change occurring throughout Europe, Russia was bound to explode in revolution.