Part 1: Chapter 8 Summary and Analysis

Nicholas was the cousin of Kaiser William II of Germany who did what he could to help the young tsar. William became Kaiser six years before Nicholas became Tsar and was more experienced than Nicholas. As a youngster, the future Kaiser fell in love with Alexandra's sister, Princess Elizabeth. He visited the family often in Darmstadt where his behavior was rude and arrogant. When Ella married the Grand Duke Serge, William refused to have anything to do with her and became engaged to another German princess. William was known for his rudeness and bad behavior, even with his own family.

Since William and Nicholas engaged in constant correspondence, William tried to get Nicholas to dissolve Russia's alliance with France but Nicholas maintained his country's alliance with the French. The Russian alliance with the Chinese was not successfully maintained under...