Research Paper Quotes

“The fall of the autocracy in February 1917, leaving Russia not only without a government but without any acceptable and traditional procedure for choosing a new one, could be no more than the first phase of the great process we have in mind when we speak of the Russian Revolution.” (Kennan, 1967, pg. 5)

Kennan, G.F. (1967). ITS NATURE AND CONSEQUENCES. Foreign Affairs. 46(1), 1-21.

                  Because my paper is looking at the causes of the Russian Revolution, I think it’s important to acknowledge the significance of the revolution itself. Otherwise my paper would have no real purpose. I really like this quote because it puts the whole scenario into an almost poetic sense. The source is also very reliable. It was published in Foreign Affairs, so it’s already been edited for imperfections and inaccurate information. Also, the author gives credit for many different causes to the Revolution, unlike most who take a specific stance on one particular cause.

“The illness of the Tsarevich cast its shadow over the whole of the concluding period of Tsar Nicholas II’s reign and alone can explain it. Without appearing to be, it was one of the main causes of his fall, for it made possible the phenomenon of Rasputin and resulted in the fatal isolation of the sovereigns who lived in a world apart, wholly absorbed in a tragic anxiety which had to be concealed from all eyes” (Gilliard, 1921, pg. 196)

Gilliard, P. (1970). Thirteen years at the Russian court. (F. A. Holt, Trans.). New York: Arno Press. (Original work published 1921).

                  This quote will be useful in my paper because it shows how one factor caused a snowball effect of influential events. It comes from a memoir written by Alexei’s, the Tsar’s sons, tutor, Pierre Gilliard. Gilliard was always seen as one of Alexei’s best friends, because he spent so much time around the boy. Unfortunately, most of the book is Gilliard’s own opinion, but this quote is still useful. It brings up a new cause of the Russian Revolution, the Tsarevich’s hemophilia. The argument for this is that’s what caused Alexandra to be so distant, and the Tsar to be so gentle, and for them to both be so distant in their politics. The fact that this was written by one of the families' closest friends makes me think that it’s important to include in my research.