The Russian leader responsible for leading the country during World War I was Tsar Nicholas II. He reigned from 1894 until his abdication in 1917 amid the Russian Revolution. Initially, Russia entered the war to support its allies and maintain its status as a great power, yet the conflict exposed significant weaknesses in his leadership and the Empire's military and economic strengths. As the war progressed, deteriorating conditions at home, military defeats, and growing public discontent led to widespread unrest. Nicholas II's abdication marked the end of three centuries of Romanov rule and sparked the Bolshevik Revolution.