Nicholas Is Foreign Policy Essay -- essays research papers

Maintaining Order The Reign of Nicholas I has been marked with war. He grew up in a time when war was the accepted norm of Russia. As a child he saw his brother fight against the evil, which was Napoleon. With war being part of Nicholas everyday life he quickly became infatuated with it. â€Å"He always remained an army man, a junior officer at heart, devoted to his troops, to military exercises, to the parade ground, down to the last button on a soldiers uniform (Riasanovsky, 323)† Nicholas time growing up in Russia had an immense influence on him. He observed strategy’s like those of Prince Michael Kutuzov, and learned only with proper order can one fully achieve military dominance. Three major conflicts accurately describe how Nicholas I used his military. The Polish uprising illustrate his demand for proper order throughout Europe. The Crimean War displayed his love for the Christian faith, and what he would do to protect Orthodoxy. Lastly, the conflict between Greece and Turkey described 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 by liberal thought. Nicholas I was basically forced to inherit the throne because, Constantine declared it was not in the best interest of Russia for him to succeed to the throne. On the day Nicholas I was to be inaugurated a peasant uprising manifested. This rebellion named the Decemberist’s put much more than a damper on Nicholas I afternoon. The revolt caused Nicholas I to never fully trust peasants throughout his reign. â€Å" No doubt it also contributed to the emperor’s mistrust of the gentry, and indeed of independence and initiative on the part of any subjects (Rias, 324).† From that day froward the Emperor would put down a law by the name of â€Å"Official Nationality (Rias, 324).† To fully comprehend how and why Nicholas I chose to run his foreign policy the way he did, one must delve into how his Empire was run at home. Nicholas I was influenced heavily by Christianity. Christianity drove him to believe that Official Nationality was the path towards Russian salvation, and only under this system could Russia maintain order. Official Nationality was a conservative system, which consisted of three principals; Orthodoxy, autocracy, and nationality. â€Å"Orthodoxy referred to the officia... ... a conflict that had both religious and revolutionary significance. This conflict between the Orthodox Greeks and the Turks eventually led to the aforementioned Crimean War. Nicholas I had a difficult decision on his hand because he would either have to side with the Orthodox Greeks or the Turks, which were the status quo at the time. One could see what Nicholas I valued more, religion or order. Nicholas I decided to side with the Greeks, making the Ottomans sign the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 (Rias.,330). Nicholas I rule reflected in a striking manner both his character and his principles. The new regime became preeminently one of militarism and bureaucracy. The entire machinery of government came to be permeated by the military spirit of direct orders, Absolute obedience, and precision. Nicholas I ideals are what kept him from fulfilling the expectation people had of him. His main goals were to conserve autocracy and religious certainty, which Alexander had manifested years before. Nicholas I policy abroad hurt his Empire tremendously. His ignorance towards the possibility of maintaining order without Orthodoxy led his country into complete dissaray, and eventually his death.