Nicholas quotes

View Quote [Sarejevo, Serbia. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Crown Prince of Austria, and his wife are riding in a motorcade waving to spectators. A man comes out of the crowd and guns them both down. Scene changes to Tsarskoe Selo. The Tsarevitch Alexei awakens screaming as it was a nightmare of his. The Tsar, Tsaritsa, and their four daughters are awakened by the screaming and run to Alexei's room to see what is the matter.]

Grand Duchess Olga: "What is it Alexei, what is wrong?"

Tsaritsa Alexandra: "It is all right darling, we are here"

Tsarevitch Alexei: "There were royals in a car; a man shot them..."

Tsar Nicholas II: "You were dreaming about Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This is what happened..."

Tsaritsa Alexandra<interrupting him>: "Nicky, please do not tell them those horrible things."

Tsar Nicholas II: "Sunny, they are not children anymore. They have to know these things. Franz Ferdinand's assassination is bad for the royal family of Austria. It is also an unbelievable burden and sadness for the family of the assassin. You see, sometimes governments do things their people do not like. So the people react in different ways. The British vote. The Americans frequently remind their leaders they must be loyal to the U.S. Constitution. And the Serbs throw bombs. You see, Serbia wants its independence. But Austria will not grant it to them. So the Serbs resort to violence. It has happened in this country too sometimes. Your great-grandfather was killed by a bomb, so was Uncle Sergei. But Serbia is a long way away. Our foreign ministry will write some angry letters to the Serbian leaders, our generals will go on exercise and everything will be right again. And we do not need have bad dreams about archdukes. All over Europe kings and queens are sleeping safely in their beds, and that is what we are going to do too."

View Quote [The Tsar is meeting with Prime Minister Pyotr Stolypin (Witte's successor) at the Livadia Palace by the Crimean Sea]

Prime Minister Stolypin: "One finds these in Saint Petersburg everywhere. The drawings are crude, but you get the idea of what they mean."

[Stolypin shows the Tsar vulgar cartoons of himself and the Tsaritsa sitting in Rasputin's lap. Another cartoon shows the Tsaritsa topless with Rasputin]

Tsar Nicholas II: "Damn it! What is wrong with the Ohkrana? Cannot 10,000 secret agents find a printing press? I want it stopped!"

[The Tsar angrily crumples up the cartoons and throws them over the rocks into the Crimean Sea]

Prime Minister Stolypin: "It is not just one printing press. The agents cannot find them all. Nobody knows why you have allowed Rasputin into the palace."

Tsar Nicholas II: "You know why."

Prime Minister Stolypin: "Yes, but the people do not."

Tsar Nicholas II: "I suppose I should tell them, shall I. Very well, I shall make the annoucement. <Somewhat stately voice> "Citizens, your Tsarevitch could have a nosebleed and die from it."

Prime Minister Stolypin: I have these as well." [Stolypin hands the Tsar a dossier] "Police reports on Grigori Efifmovitch Rasputin. Drunk half the time. Chases after all the women of Saint Petersburg. Oh, he is generous with himself, I will give him that, it is his only Christian virtue. Whores, officer's wives, the list goes on. You have to banish him from the palace; away from Saint Petersburg. I cannot control the situation if you do not. People are spreading rumors that he goes to bed with your wife and daughters!"

View Quote [The "Bloody Sunday" massacre has just occurred. Tsar Nicholas II furiously storms into his office to see Prime Minister Witte]

Tsar Nicholas II: "How many dead?"

Prime Minister Witte: "Sir, we are still counting, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds."

Tsar Nicholas II: "Who gave the order to fire upon them?"

Prime Minister Witte: "Your Majesty, nobody ordered it."

Tsar Nicholas II: "You run this government. Somebody had to have ordered something!"

Prime Minister Witte: "Would you have gone out to meet them?"

Tsar Nicholas II: "Of course not."

Prime Minister Witte: "Would you have given them a Duma? Allowed them to have elections? Had schools and hospitals built for them?"

Tsar Nicholas II: "How could I?"

Prime Minister Witte: "THEN WHY BOTHER TO INFORM YOU ABOUT THIS?! You would not have done anything!"

View Quote [Nicholas & Alexandra are going to a birthday ball in honor of his mother; the Empress Dowager]

Tsarista Alexandra: "Oh Nicky, do we have to go? Can't we just say I have a headache."

Tsar Nicholas II: "It is my mother's birthday. You are too old for that now."

Tsaritsa Alexandra: "You never see unpleasant things. You drift away. I even wonder if you hear me half the time."

Tsar Nicholas II: "Just now I find you all too audible."

Tsaritsa Alexandra: "Nicky, guess what?"

Tsar Nicholas II: "You have got your headache."

[Both chuckle]

View Quote [Following the murder of Prime Minister Stolypin, the Tsar orders a string of crackdowns. The conspirators behind Stolypin's assassinations are convicted and executed; but various crackdowns on civil liberties occur and police brutality is left unchecked. The Tsar also orders the dissolving of the Duma. Russian police are standing by to escort the Duma members out. Alexander Kerensky, now a member of Duma, is protesting this]

Alexander Kerensky: "Tell the Tsar that he can close this building, but he cannot close the Duma or the concept of the Russian people being represented in government!"

Members of the Duma<in unison>: "HEAR, HEAR!"

Duma President: "Mr. Kerensky, I have the floor. You will not speak out of turn!"

Alexander Kerensky: "The Duma is not a street corner. We are not rebels and bombmakers. Most of us want a system like the English do. Let there be a Tsar. But let there be representative government and the rule of law as well. Bring the Tsar here and let him be told that."

Members of the Duma: "HEAR, HEAR!"

Duma President: "The Tsar is not here right now. He is at his hunting lodge in Poland."

Alexander Kerenksy: "I do not care if he is in Scotland shooting wild grouse! Go tell the Tsar that by dissolving the Duma he is bring ruin upon his head and that he cannot silence the voice of the Russian people. Tell him now! Tell him, while there is still a Tsar left to tell!"

View Quote [The Empress Dowager has a moment alone with her son, the Tsar, at her birthday party]]

Empress Dowager Marie: "Witte had tea with me today."

Tsar Nicholas II: "Oh, did he?"

Empress Dowager Marie: "He ate all my sturgeon but he never stopped talking. Clever man! He talked about the war like everyone else. He thinks..."

Tsar Nicholas II<cutting her off>: "I know what he thinks."
Empress Dowager Marie: "Nicky, will you please let me finish. I know I am not as clever as everybody makes me out to be but I do know this. Witte thinks we cannot afford wars. They are too ambitious. I very much agree with him. We are an 18th Century nation trying to make it in a 20th Century world. Get out of Korea and forget about Japan. We need all our strength, resources, and money to look after Russia. Do not waste it on those little yellow Buddhists, pagans, or whatever the heck they are called. You only encourage them by taking them seriously."

Tsar Nicholas II: "I am 36 years old, Mama. You must let me look after this war on my own."

Empress Dowager Marie: "It is as your father always said..."

Tsar Nicholas II<again cutting her off as she has hit a sore point>: "Thank you for your kind advice."