17th January 1912: Rasputin slept with the wife of a captain 25th January 1912: an actress slept at Rasputin’s house Rasputin came home drunk with a prostitute. Source A, Secret Police reports on Rasputin. In December 1916, Prince Yusupov decided to kill Rasputin because of the damage he was doing to the Royal Family’s reputation. Rasputin was fed with poisoned cakes. He didn’t die. He was shot in the back... but half an hour later he “leapt to his feet, foaming at the mouth” and tried to kill Yusupov. Rasputin was shot several times and clubbed. He was then tied up and pushed through a hole in the thick ice over the River Neva. When the body was found 3 days later, it was reported that Rasputin had untied himself and there was ice under his fingernails. Source B, Account from one of the conspirators behind the assassination. Rasputin “ran his pale eyes over me,… and I began to feel an indescribable loathing for the vermin sitting opposite me. The man possessed great hypnotic power.” Source C, the Tsar’s Chief Minister Stolypin describes a meeting with Rasputin. Rasputin is “a cunning conspirator against our Holy church, a fornicator of souls and bodies … a propagator of false doctrine, a maniac and charlatan.” Source E, a letter sent to a Russian religious newspaper. Rasputin’s influence grew under the protection of the Tsar, who even asked his advice on the appointment of ministers in his government. Rasputin used his power to place his friends in important positions. Source D, a description of Rasputin from a history textbook. “When the Tsar was away during the war, Alexandra relied heavily on the advice of Rasputin and he began appointing and sacking ministers.” Source F, from a GCSE textbook. “There were rumours that he and Alexandra were lovers and that they were planning to make peace with the Germans. The story sounded possible because Alexandra had been porn in Germany” Source H, from a GCSE textbook. Source G, a popular Russian cartoon of Rasputin’s relationship with the Tsar and Tsarina.

Rasputin had too much power in Russia REASON FOR MURDER EXPLANATIONS EVIDENCE Rasputin behaved immorally. Rasputin had too much power in Russia