The murder of the Romanov family marked a tragic turning point in Russian history. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the fate of Tsar Nicholas II and his family became a symbol of the collapse of the imperial regime. The family was executed in 1918 by the Bolsheviks to prevent their potential rescue and to eliminate any possibility of their restoration.

Source A: Excerpt from a Bolshevik report (1920)

'The execution was necessary to secure the revolution and prevent counter-revolutionary elements from rallying around the Tsar's family.' Provenance: Official Bolshevik report, 1920.

Use the timeline below to understand the sequence of events:

Event 1: Tsar Nicholas II and his family are placed under house arrest in 1917.

Event 2: The Bolsheviks take power in November 1917.

Event 3: The family is moved to Yekaterinburg in 1918.

Event 4: The decision to execute the Romanovs is made in July 1918.

Event 5: The Romanovs are murdered on the night of July 16-17, 1918.

Event 6: The bodies are discovered in 1979 and reburied in 1998.

Source B: Memoir of a Bolshevik officer

'The execution was carried out swiftly to prevent any rescue or intervention.' Provenance: Memoir, 1922.

Historians have debated the reasons for the Romanov family's murder and its impact. Some view it as a necessary act to secure Bolshevik power, while others see it as a tragic loss of a royal line.

Source C: Historian's view (2010)

'The execution was a brutal but strategic move by the Bolsheviks to eliminate a potential rallying point for anti-revolutionary forces.' Provenance: Modern historian analysis.