Nicholas Is Foreign Policy Essay -- essays research papers

Maintaining OrderThe Reign of Nicholas I has been marked with war. He grew up in a time when war was the current norm ofRussia. As a child he saw his brother fight against the evil, which was Napoleon. With war being part ofNicholas everyday life he right away became infatuated with it. He always remained an army man, a junior officer atheart, devoted to his troops, to military exercises, to the parade ground, down to the last button on a soldiersuniform (Riasanovsky, 323) Nicholas time growing up in Russia had an immense influence on him. Heobserved strategys like those of Prince Michael Kutuzov, and wise(p) only with proper order can one fullyachieve military dominance. Three major conflicts accurately describe how Nicholas I used his military. The brush up uprising illustrate his demand for proper order throughout Europe. The Crimean War displayed his lovefor the Christian faith, and what he would do to protect Orthodoxy. Lastly, the conflict between Greece and washout describ ed how Nicholas I would act when a culmination of his ideas, conflicted with one another. Investigating how Nicholas I inherited the throne will give one an explanation on why he was so frightened byliberal thought. Nicholas I was basically forced to inherit the throne because, Constantine declared it was not inthe outgo interest of Russia for him to succeed to the throne. On the day Nicholas I was to be inaugurated apeasant uprising manifested. This rebellion consultd the Decemberists put much more than a damper onNicholas I afternoon. The revolt caused Nicholas I to never fully trust peasants throughout his reign. No doubt italso contributed to the emperors misgiving of the gentry, and indeed of independence and initiative on the part ofany subjects (Rias, 324). From that day froward the Emperor would put down a law by the name of OfficialNationality (Rias, 324). To fully comprehend how and why Nicholas I chose to take his foreign policy the way he did, one must delve intohow his Empire was run at home. Nicholas I was influenced heavily by Christianity. Christianity drove him tobelieve that Official Nationality was the path towards Russian salvation, and only under this system could Russiamaintain order. Official Nationality was a conservative system, which consisted of three principals Orthodoxy,autocracy, and nationality. Orthodoxy referred to the officia... ... a conflict that had both religious and revolutionary significance. This conflict betweenthe Orthodox Greeks and the Turks eventually led to the aforementioned Crimean War. Nicholas I had a difficultdecision on his hand because he would either have to side with the Orthodox Greeks or the Turks, which werethe status quo at the time. One could see what Nicholas I valued more, religion or order. Nicholas I decided toside with the Greeks, making the Ottomans sign the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 (Rias.,330). Nicholas I rule reflected in a touch manner both his character and his principles. The ne w regime becamepreeminently one of militarism and bureaucracy. The entire machinery of government came to be permeated bythe military spirit of direct orders, compulsive obedience, and precision. Nicholas I ideals are what kept him from fulfilling the expectation people hadof him. His main goals were to conserve autocracy and religious certainty, which Alexander had manifestedyears before. Nicholas I policy abroad injury his Empire tremendously. His ignorance towards the possibility ofmaintaining order without Orthodoxy led his country into complete dissaray, and eventually his death.