THE LAST TSAR The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs

In a resonant baritone Gareth Armstrong ably narrates this new look at the abdication of Tsar of the Russian Empire Nicholas II in early 1917. Armstrong's English accent gives the performance an authoritative tone, and his somewhat staccato intonation is easy to follow. Russian words are pronounced well, and his overall performance is a good fit with the text. Using new archival material and other sources, Hasegawa presents a monarchy and ruling class with numerous competing interests and goals, all of whom pulled the tsar in various directions. Nicholas was not up to the task, and, while there were a number of paths he could have taken to save the monarchy, he chose abdication, which eventually led to Soviet power. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2025]