Though the bolsheviks captured the russian tsar and his family, they did not kill them right away. why did vladimir lenin order the execution of the tsar and his family in 1918? a) lenin believed that if he let the tsar and his family live, he would seem "soft" and therefore not worthy of his followers' support. b) his rivals might "rescue" the tsar and his family and then gain the support of nationalists who wanted the tsar back in power. c) he knew that the execution of this loving family would show the world that lenin was a ruthless leader who could not be ignored. d) lenin ordered the execution of tsar and his family as a way to get back at the tsar’s family for lenin’s unpleasant childhood.