I have always questioned this claim. I feel like this is a manipulative behavior modification aspect of an abusive relationship. Give us some of your money or else will forcefully take it from you.

But let's study it from a historical point of view, what reasons do we have to believe that a strategy like that would work? Alexander II, Czar of Russia, the grandfather of Tsar Nicolas, instigated a lot of drastic land reforms, he eliminated serfdom from Russia, but the revolution happened nonetheless. In fact he himself was killed by the revolutionaries.

It would have been far far cheaper an easier for Tsars to have invested in an escape route.