‘The Last Inspection” depicting Tsar Nicholas II inspecting the Cossacks of the Konvoy at Pskov, March 15, 1917 after he abdicated. The men of the unit in many cases had been with the sovereign for decades and at that moment, was the last loyal force in the country. (click to big up)
Within a year of the abdication of the Tsar, Russia would withdraw from World War I only to be plunged into a horrific Civil War and resulting diaspora and famine that would kill an estimated 12 million.
The painting above is by Pavel Ryzhenko.
