Why did the romanov russian royal family get executed?

Question

I can understand why Nicholas II would have been wanted executed by the temporary government's orders, but why did the rest of his family have to suffer for his mistakes? Or rathermore, why did they have to execute everyone in the first place to begin with if they weren't going to be much a threat once Nicholas Abdicated from the throne?

Answer 1

It was to eliminate any chance that the family would regain power in Russia.  The Bolsheviks were ruthless from their inception and didn't change much over the following 70 years.

Answer 2

Simple war, they didn't want any heirs in straight line of the throne to rule, people had hunger.

I wonder if it's any better now? Communism is also gone but people have still hunger over there.

Answer 3

The Bolshevik party wanted to snuff out the "royal" line. There was still enough support for the Romanovs that even with the abdication, there was a chance they could have been reseated (Nicholas, a married daughter -maybe- or another relative). The fact that the whole family was canonized as martyrs shortly after their deaths speaks volumes.

Nicholas II was not liked (he was considered a rather weak leader, and his decisions were disasterous to Russia in World War I). But  his wife Alexandra was despised. She, according to most of what I've read, was very haughty and unsympatetic to the commoners. Many were also suspicious of her relationship with mystic Rasputin, who was called on to treat her youngest and heir, Alexei. Alexei had hemophelia was was often very ill. While the boy's condition was officially a secret, I personally suspect Alexei's health was a matter of concern and more widely known then his parents would have liked to have believed. Alexandra's increasing reliance on Rasputin is believed by many to be a major factor in the Romanov's downfall (see source list)

The commoners lost faith in the Romanov dynasty, so the revolutions swept the country.

Answer 4

Because the British Royal family rescinded plans to evacuate the Romanovs by warship. They, the British, felt that having two families of royal blood in England would not be good PR for them. So the cousins were abandoned. Sic transit gloria!