asdf Committee Name Chair: Paul Yang Director: Paul Yang Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 Contents Letter from the Chair…….………………………...……………………...…..3 Introduction………..…….………………………...……………………...…..6 The Situation in the Russian Empire:……………………………..……..……8 The War…...…..………………………………….……………………….……………8 Economic and Political Uncertainty………...…...………...….…….……….…………10 Soviets, Ideologues and Revolutionaries…………………………………….……...….12 Bibliography..…...…………………………………………….……………………….13 Positions…………..…….………………………...……………………...….14 2 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 Letter from the Chair Dear Delegates, I’m very excited to welcome you to PMUNC 2016! My name is Matthew Edelstein, and I am thrilled to be your chair for the Tsar Nicholas II/Russian State Council Committee. First, to give you a little bit about myself, I am currently a junior at Princeton, majoring in Classics with a particular focus on Roman history. I am from New York City (the greatest city on earth, although I am admittedly a bit biased), and I am an avid sports fan, particularly of the Brooklyn Nets. On campus, aside from Model UN, I am also currently the Director of Programming for the International Relations Council, a proud member of the Princeton Tower Club, and an active participant in various intramural sports. Feel free to ask me about campus life if you’re interested! This year will be my third time staffing PMUNC, although I have participated in Model UN as a delegate since my freshman year of high school. In terms of staffing, I had the opportunity to work as an Assistant Chargé D’Affaires for the conference as well as a director for one of the JCCs during my freshman year, and I served as the Director-General for Regional and Specialized Committees at PMUNC last year. While I greatly enjoyed being on Secretariat last year and helping to plan and oversee several committees, I am glad to be back inside a committee working more closely with you, the delegates, as a chair this year. As I am extremely interested in history myself, I personally considered historical crisis committees to be some of the most fun, exciting, and intellectually stimulating committees when I was a delegate, so I am thrilled that I have the chance to run a historical crisis in our committee this year. Our committee, which takes place in the Russian Empire in early 1917, will force you as delegates to immerse yourselves in a different place and time period and to try to address problems from the perspectives of individuals who were alive at around that time rather than simply from a modern perspective. I also hope that researching this topic will allow you to learn more about a period of history that you may not already know much about but that was nevertheless extremely significant in shaping the direction of international affairs in the 20th century. Indeed, in immersing yourselves in early 20th century Russia just prior to the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, we will force you to jump straight into a society wracked with many great tensions, changes, and upheavals, not the least of which were the problems resulting from the ongoing and costly military effort against the Central Powers in World War I. Faced with political, economic, and social turmoil at home and a dangerous foreign enemy abroad, you as the Tsar’s advisors (the chair will act as Nicholas II himself during the committee) will have to make important and oftentimes difficult decisions in order to try to implement policies that will keep this society intact. You will also have to think on your feet and adjust your plans in the face of new challenges and developments that will be thrown at you. You will not necessarily all agree on the best course of action. The choices that you make will have significant (and possibly even dire) consequences. 3 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 I am certain that our committee will be one of, if not the most, fun committee at PMUNC (albeit possibly one of the more challenging committees), and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what solutions you come up with and how our committee’s efforts turn out. I look forward to meeting you all soon, and I hope you find this experience both rewarding and engaging! Please shoot me an email if you have any questions about the committee, the conference, or myself. I would be more than happy to hear from you! Best, Matthew Edelstein Chair, Tsar Nicholas II Committee 4 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 Delegates, Hello and welcome to PMUNC 2016, to the State Council of the Emperor and Autocrat, His Imperial Highness, Nicholas II (or whatever title my more succinct colleagues devise), and to beautiful, historic, and world-renowned East Brunswick, New Jersey. There does not exist a better location to introduce you to the Romanov family, emperors of all-Russia; autocrats of Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, and Novgorod; and target practice for the all-union Communist Party. My name is Elkhyn Rivas, and I have the distinct honor of foiling (or, let’s be honest, supporting) your assassination attempts upon one another as the state council’s minister of crises. Currently, I am a second year student at Princeton University, where I plan to major in god-knows-what, with a minor in Environmental Studies. I live in South Carolina (first to lead, first to secede), but I was born in Venezuela, land of gold, oil, and toilet paper shortages. When I grow up, I would say I “hope” to have an extensive Ferrari collection, but, come on, I’m way to self-assured to hope for anything. Anyways, you’ll see me on the cover of Forbes and every other mouthpiece of American capitalism some day. I’d hate to spoil much more of the story that will one day comprise my bestselling memoirs one day, so enough of me. There has always been an indescribable allure surrounding Russia, at least for me. as one of the persons evaluating your performance on the State Council, it would certainly deign you to discover and embrace said allure. following this letter, you will find a noteworthy note, a letter from the State Council to the Emperor, and a list of characters. I sincerely look forward to seeing how each and every one of you work to remedy (and, because this is Model UN, multiply) the maladies that have befallen our empire. I eagerly await PMUNC 2016; I have no doubt that your ingenuity, talent, and endless attempts to murder one another will not cease to surprise me. Best Wishes, Elkhyn R. Rivas Rodriguez, Crisis Director 5 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 Introduction The State Council was established in 1810. At its very core, it was comprised of the emperor’s most trusted advisors. In its final years, it was elevated to the role of upper house in the Russian Empire's nascent parliament. The State Council contained within these pages is a product of both fact and fiction. In actuality, few of the individuals who will serve on this council would have done so in 1917. The 14 nobles, politicians, and bureaucrats serving on this council were all real persons; not all of them, however, were alive or in their prescribed office on March 10, 1917. Specifically, Vladimir Sukhomlinov, our Minister of War, was removed from that office on allegations of treason and incompetence two years prior; for the purpose of this council, he retains his office, though any real-life allegations made about him and his ties to the Tsar, Grigori Rasputin, or the German Empire will neither be refuted nor confirmed. Grigori Rasputin was the target of a successful assassination attempt at the conclusion of 1916. For the purposes of this council, such an assassination did not manifest itself. The sentiments and suspicions held about the royal family’s famed healer, however, will neither be refuted nor confirmed. You will receive a letter containing your role’s objectives and tactical capabilities on the day the State Council convenes to clarify your role and update you on what has elapsed in our world. Furthermore, when preparing for committee, it would be wise to concern yourself more with the military, political, economic, and social crises facing the Russian Empire in 1917 than with the final details of your role. The crises facing the State Council may or may not align with reality. you will notice that this document reserves very little space to describing the All-Union Communists, better 6 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 known as the Bolsheviks. Today, we know that the Bolsheviks were the deadly straw that broke the Imperial camel’s back. At the beginning of 1917, however, they would not have topped Imperial authorities’ list of concerns. whether they pose the same threat to this council as they did in reality will depend on the decisions made and actions undertaken by this committee. Finally, note that March 10, 1917, is a new style (n.s.) date. for the purposes of this council, all dates used will be new style. Please make sure that your research reflects this. With that, welcome to the State Council of the Emperor and Autocrat, his Imperial Highness, Nicholas II. 7 Tsar Nicholas II PMUNC 2016 The Situation in the Russian Empire Assembled in its entirety at Mariinsky Palace, Petrograd; acting under the authority of the Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, His Imperial Highness, Nicholas II; acclaiming without any reservations of the mind or spirit; the State Council will: Propose formal solutions to address the war; resolve economic and political uncertainty; extinguish the Soviets, ideologues, and revolutionaries. His majesty’s return from Mogilev is warmly welcomed by the State Council. His majesty’s time away has proven a most difficult one.