It is early in the summer of 1918.  Having abdicated the throne in 1917 after the (first) Russian Revolution of February,  Tsar Nicholas II is being held in captivity by the Bolsheviks.  The Bolsheviks, also known as Soviets,  have been in power since the (second) Revolution in November of 1917. Meanwhile, World War I is breathing its last gasps in Western Europe.  Despite the decision of its new Soviet leaders to withdraw Russia from the War by signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with the Germans, the Allied forces (with the new help of the United States) are winning the war; an armistice will be signed in November in which Germany admits defeat. In an attempt to prevent the Soviets from achieving their goal of establishing a communist society in Russia, Allied leaders are sending troops to Russia in support of the Tsarist "White" forces.  The Russians have a decision to make:  what should they do with the Tsar and his family? The Romanovs have been the leaders of Russia for hundreds of years and have close ties with the other royal families of Europe.  If they remain alive, they could serve as a symbolic rallying point for those forces who oppose Bolshevik rule in Russia, thus endangering the goals of the revolution.  If they are executed, the Bolsheviks run the risk of bringing the full wrath of the western world down upon themselves; this could also damage them economically, militarily, and politically.   

If events had occurred differently that summer, the Russians may have decided to put Nicholas II on trial before deciding what to do.   YOUR job will be to help prepare for the trial that never happened.

The Imperial Family Visits Russian Troops

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