CLEP Western Civ II

Answer: B - The fact that Rasputin, a self-proclaimed mystic, held sway over Czarina Alexandra further weakened the people's faith in the royal family. Rasputin made himself the gatekeeper for access to the royal family, alienating them from the Russian people. Compounded with the stress of World War I, this action ensured that the royal family would be out of step with the increasingly restless working and middle classes of Russia.