The junction of the 19th-20th centuries was a very interesting phenomenon for our civilization. We can say that the old system of world order was replaced by a new one. The development of science and technology has brought about significant social changes. Universal suffrage, improved living and working conditions, the emergence of social benefits - this is not a complete list of the changes that humanity was going through then.
However, the progress also had some not entirely pleasant aspects. The fall of the authority of religion caused, in particular, the filling of the "spiritual" vacuum with various occult teachings. All kinds of gurus, mystics and mediums appeared like mushrooms after rain. Blavatsky, Sebottendorf, Crowley - these mystics and their followers created a huge number of pseudo-religious "schools of magic", spiritualistic practices and other teachings. Supporters of traditional beliefs, who actively preached old religious dogmas in a new way, did not stand aside either. One of these preachers was Grigory Yefimovich Novykh, better known as Grishka Rasputin.
Before his arrival in St. Petersburg, Rasputin led a very interesting life. After the death of his father, twelve-year-old Gregory went "to the people" and worked in taverns as a waiter and bouncer. He did not disdain to steal and even was in a gang of horse thieves. However, the illness that happened to him cooled the enthusiasm of the guy's shirt a little and made him turn to religion. For several years he made pilgrimages to holy places, after which he got married and started a family.
Without parting, however, with a dashing youth, Rasputin secretly continued to engage in all sorts of dark deeds from robbery to fraud. Despite the fact that he was married, Rasputin led a depraved lifestyle, cohabitating with a huge number of very different women, from local residents to pilgrims and casual passions on his travels. Various unknown persons often came to his home, which also increased the hostility of the neighbors. On the other hand, despite such a life, Rasputin continued to visit many religious sites, monasteries and churches. He had a huge number of acquaintances among the clergy - from abbots and monks to archbishops.
Be that as it may, his chance acquaintance with the Black Hundred priest Ivan Vostorgov led to the fact that he was presented in St. Petersburg as "the elder of the holy life" and very quickly entered into the confidence of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, uncle of Tsar Nicholas II.
And then … then everything was simple. Nicholas II was a very religious person. And a man like Rasputin was a real find for the weak-willed tsar. Having proved himself several times, Grishka enjoyed almost indisputable authority with Nikolai. But the “elder” (who at that time was only 36 years old) had the greatest success with the tsarina, Alexandra Feodorovna.
Many monarchist historians explain this by the fact that, they say, Rasputin was able to stop bleeding from her son, who suffered from hemophilia. However, most likely it was a little different. The empress suffered from attacks of panic and paranoia, as evidenced by the conclusion of the famous neuropathologist Professor G. Rossolimo, specially invited to the Winter Palace. However, after a conversation with Rossolimo, Nikolai ordered to expel him from the country. With the advent of Rasputin, who became a personal psychiatrist, and what, to be honest, practically the confessor of the crowned couple, these problems were partially gone.
Rasputin had a tremendous influence on the tsar and tsarina. And this was not only the influence of his spiritual conversations. The Bolshevik investigation carried out in the clinic of Zhamsaran Badmaev, a Tibetan doctor, whose services were used by the entire elite of that time, revealed very interesting facts.
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In particular, it turned out that Rasputin, who had himself been treated in the clinic more than once (mainly for diseases related to sexual issues), often bought a variety of folk remedies of Tibetan medicine from Badmaev. These included some types of opiates, natural tranquilizers and antidepressants. It is unlikely that Grishka, who has good enough health and truly fantastic stamina, needed these funds. It is believed that these drugs were used by him to influence the royal couple.
Another interesting fact was discovered. In addition to all kinds of "black lotus flowers" and "emerald powders" Rasputin bought ordinary aspirin from Badmaev. Why would a person who has never had a cold since the age of twenty need aspirin? The main active ingredient of aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid, it prevents the formation of blood clots, that is, it thins the blood. And what kind of illness did the heir to the throne have? Hemophilia? This allows us to look at Grishka's ability to stop a child's bleeding in a slightly different light: when necessary, he could cause bleeding, when necessary, he could stop it.
However, all this would not be worth attention for history if the matter was limited only to such particular issues. The main problem of Rasputin was the perniciousness of his influence on the processes taking place in the state. The fact is that Grishka, due to his closeness to the monarch, was the easiest way for anyone who wanted to take a major post or pull off a scam on a national scale. That is, Rasputin was actually the main element of the monstrous system of corruption that existed in Russia before and during the First World War.
The path to fame or success of any adventurer of that time followed a very simple recipe: a bribe to Rasputin - getting the desired post. Moreover, the position did not play a role. Even ministers were appointed on the "recommendation" of Rasputin. Sturmer, Protopopov, Beletsky, Maklakov, Sabler - this is not a complete list of those individuals who came to power thanks to Rasputin. State subsidies were distributed to the right and left, banks and trusts were formed from scratch, which burst after six months, someone made a profit, and depositors or the state remained at a broken trough. What happened to the tenders for the supply of food and uniforms to the army - it is better to just keep silent. This has not happened in Russia either before or after. Meanwhile, the economy was collapsing, and the situation at the fronts was getting worse and worse …
In the end, what should have happened happened. Rasputin was killed by people from high society who were tired of this gimp. Who knows, if he had stayed alive, the fate of Russia could have taken a completely different path. However, history does not tolerate the subjunctive mood. A year after his death, it was a completely different country.