-remains neutral in War of the French Revolution (1792-1804) despite disgust at French Republic

-arrival is widely celebrated as a change from Paul's reign

-and though his personality is quite dour thanks to a generation as the heir apparent he does regard himself as a reformer

-under influence of La Harpe, by this point a rather moderate republican

-grants Lithuania autonomy as "Grand Duchy"

-under influence of moderate constitutionalist Speransky, establishes a system of reform to modernize government

-old Colleges replaced by modern system of ministers

-and a Council of State

-Governing Senate becomes securely apex of judiciary

-a system of Dumas

-volost council elected by real estate owners, in different curia divided by size

-which elects okrug duma

-which elects oblast duma

-which elects governorate duma

-which elects viceregency duma, of one of twelve viceregencies

-which elects Chamber of Plenipotentiaries, one house of the State Duma along with Governing Senate

-all of this is under imperial authority

-and Duma elections practically managed by state authorities, a Potemkin village

-and discredits its nature of constitutional government

-this system does, however, establish a small constitutionalist elite

-with start of Second French War (1821-32) invades Prussia

-in name of weird dreams of being "Liberator of Poland"

-also obtains permissions from Austria to annex most of Galicia to keep Russia onside from this total wildcard

-Russian army sucks very much thanks to Paul I's dismal governance, also they commit atrocities which mean they don't have support from pop

-eventually dies of cholera

-unlike OTL his wife isn't able to escape

-instead she's kept in Russia living a miserable life

-repeated escape attempts getting foiled means she's increasingly sequestered in her palace

-shortly after giving birth in 1828 she commits suicide

-calls back troops from invasion of Poland because it's a real mess and pulls out of war

-in treaty with Austria afterwards, rule over eastern Galicia gets recognized

-begins process of modernizing the army

-only son of Constantine I

-comes to the throne at age of 9

-this means government is instead administered by regency of his uncle Nicholas and state apparatus

-process of modernization continues

-Nicholas governs the country as an army

-engages in construction of railways

-rise of Russia's Wars > Turkish War of Succession (1841-4) sees Russian army put to task

-it is somewhat successful

-however, Anglo-French invasion of Circassia and Crimea is something Russia is unable to defeat

-Lithuanian constitution increasingly disrespected in this era

-slow growth of Russification policies

-in 1851 Michael formally rises to the throne in full and exercises state power

-however this ascension sees several reform-minded military officers attempt a palace coup

-fails badly

-with China's Wars > Transition from Qing to Bai (1854-63) formally makes decision to defend Qing

-and makes deal to make it a protectorate

-sees growing industry fueled by new Trans-Siberian Railroad (Railways > Russia)

-construction fuels new growing industries

-growing number of "landless serfs" who go to industry

-as well as serfs transferred to urban factory land

-with Michael upon coronation still refusing to respect constitution of Lithuania provokes 1859 rebellion

-crushed brutally and exodus to Prussia and France happens

-ends with formal dissolution of Grand Duchy and replacement of it with Vilia Land as integral part of Russia

-decides to invade Circassia again with Russia's Wars > Second Circassian War (1872-5) to reclaim lost territories

-ends with defeat due to French support and British arms being given to it

-sees French Wars > Fourth French War (1880-4)

-makes decision to intervene which is deemed successful to nation at large

-with outbreak of French Wars > Fifth French War (1892-5) decides to intervene

-but put on pause entirely after war with China

-faced with opening of Russo-Chinese War (1893-9)

-and sends already enlisted troops to the east

-war is initially popular

-Siege of Mukden becomes a rallying cry for the nation for a while

-however, rising food insecurity, and by 1897 famine, breaks spirit of the nation

-with war panic emerging, and Michael deemed incompetent, conspiracy emerges to depose him

-they successfully assassinate him

-born in 1871

-only became Tsesarevich in 1889

-his two elder brothers having been assassinated by Lithuanian nationalists while in Hanover

-a very militaristic man who views himself as an enforcer

-huge chested 193 cm man

-served in the army on the secret police

-supported assassination of his father and is part of palace coup attempt

-cataclysmic defeat in war causes mass chaos

-veterans pissed and form Young Russian revolutionary societies

-also loss of Chinese grain results in hunger, even famine in some areas

-gendarmes having taken surplus in return for noble money during war resulted in no growing of surplus

-and bad harvest in 1897 turned into famine in 1898, due to this

-new returnee soldiers needing to be fed, and soldiers moving to underfed cities, leads to famine continuing

-attempts to overthrow him in this era fail due to insufficient unity and Constantine II's efficiency

-initial rally round the new tsar over whom all hopes projected

-initial hopes of grand reform by new tsar over new nation

-however, he focuses on state-strengthening reform imposed from above

-and refuses attempt to establish a representative Sobor

-when very huge riots, peasant rebellions emerge, Constantine issues order to kill them

-ends up being very unpopular and dissent against massacres destroys his popularity

-results in Young Russian Revolution (1902-8)

-General Morozov storms his palace, forces him to sign paper giving himself full powers over country

-during his house arrest he has specific food, guarded even when he goes to washroom

-four year old son dies in here, reason disputed

-in 1903 counterrevolutionaries rescue him from house arrest

-kills Morozov

-unleashes a wave of massacres and a white terror

-however, in 1904 Kuskov successfully takes Petrograd

-and arrests the Tsar and wife

-in 1905 put on trial in front of a revolutionary tribunal

-very dramatic trial and result is never in doubt

-supremely charismatic prosecution filmed, sound recorded, and reprinted

-lays out case for execution in elaborate detail

-while in contrast defence is by eleemosynary office

-Tsar does not want any but government refuses his word

-defence decides to have him gagged for duration of trial to improve it

-infamously in one moment it comes off and he starts shouting about how trial is a fraud and he's rightful ruler

-in the end guillotined in public to cheering crowds

-after his coup, granted near-total power over empire as Dictator

-does not overthrow Emperor because fears disintegration of authority

-issues declaration convening Sobor under universal male and female suffrage

-plans to also use this opportunity to abolish the monarchy with the confidence of the nation

-issues declaration of rights of man, abolition of serfdom, under provisional decrees pending acceptance by Sobor

-elections happen, chaotic affair but returns Young Russian supermajority

-first session happens, with it readying to accept his bills

-however, loyalists launch a counter-coup, Morozov arrested, Tsar executes him

-a little into the Sobor's first session

-remembered as a hero, as the "Martyr Liberator"

-military officer who successfully flees Petrograd for Pskov

-head of the resistance to the tsar afterwards

-and is the man who reads the declaration on resistance

-is there when Sobor declares itself the National Assembly

-upon organizing the Provisional Government he issues Declaration of Principles which declares rights of all

-most famously, abolishes serfdom once and for all

-successfully launches war efforts which take Petrograd and Moscow

-afterwards abolishes the monarchy

-organizes tribunal which tries Tsar

-and is one of the people who fires the shot in the firing squad

-faced with shelling of Winter Palace

-devastating much

-defeats 1905 military coup attempt

-Malorussian Hetmanate established

-Young Russian attempt to crush it defeated

-overthrown due to this flagging war effort

-general who leads Russia to victory in the revolution

-drops off power after the revolution and writing of new Constitution of 1909

-written by the Sobor

1909: Elected unopposed

1914: Charged by the National Sobor for crimes against the Russian people, overthrown in a military coup

-new Russia is founded on Ideology > Sociocracy

-government by the experts and headed by a class of scientific administrators

-state is corporatistic and affiliated with industry to keep it efficient

-but somewhat more democratic in that the experts are nominated by the people

-additionally, the state is now more tightly focused on the economy

-formed with triumvirate heading it

-under Comtean guides, with High Administrators of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture

-government headed by High Administrator of Commerce

-Sobor consists of one house with members proportionate to newspaper outlook

-with newspapers given right to appoint members to Sobor

-in accord to how many readers they have

-moral power established

-governs over a system of morals over the state, while being entirely separate from it

-as well as education

-sees beginning of land redistribution post-serfdom

-the government attempts to redistribute land and establish individual title causes widespread discontent

-however, initially it's a sort of voluntary system of reorganizing plots within mirs to have individuated land title

-and in practice other villagers very unhappy about people individuated titles

-establishment of a whole new branch of state-supported industry in this era

-and harmony between labor and capital system industry

-built up with full assistance from banks from abroad

-sees a lot of peasants migrate in this era

-however, much of this industrial growth is the product of intermittent migraton

-faced with Recessions > Panic of 1911

-panic from economic chaos sees many disillusioned on constitutional government

-he reacts by doing vanishingly little to stop the recession

-and he tries to cut up mirs across Russia which causes a number of peasant rebellions

-culminates in National Sobor declaring Kobelov a traitor

-Kobelov declares this is illegal and brings General Vartanyan to fire on the National Sobor

-Vartanyan decides to enforce the decision of the National Sobor instead

1914: Elected unopposed

-comes to power in military coup and formally enacts "Additional Articles" of the Constitution

-extends terms for administrators all across the board

-this in turn creates an increasingly oligarchical system

-also establishes a post of Chief High Administrator to head the High Administration

-puts an end to attempts to replace the mir system with individual plots

-and instead establishes cooperatives across Russia along lines of existing mirs

-with each peasant having a share within their mir

-additionally, the new role of the High Administration for Agriculture is to manage these mirs for efficiency

-complete with the most modern of all techniques

-also, introduces new nationally-owned mills and the like to rural areas

-establishes industry in broadly-successful push

-against International Bank he establishes a payment plan which is long-term enough Russia can still spend money on modernization

-with this capital is able to modernize the nation dramatically

-to keep power and after new military buildup embarks on Russia's Wars > Central Asian Wars (1919-28)

-with invasion of Kazakhstan it opens and consumes rest of his tenure

1927 def. Mikhail Sabanayev (Young Russia -- Opposition)

1937: Wins in recall plebiscite

-served as a doctor

-became a revolutionary due to attempts to attract intelligentsia

-utterly committed revolutionary who made herself famous as an organizer and intellectual in war years

-and in this capacity becomes leader especially after the gendarmes namedrop her

-and exile her to Don River where despite torture she comes out the other side

-makes her legendary

-organizes during famine years which makes her famous

-narrowly avoided being executed by Constantine II during his petty restoration

-served beforehand as the High Administrator of Agriculture

-in which she managed the corporate apparatus and the rise of of Russian agrarian prosperity

-and sent fleets of doctors across the agrarian areas to improve general health

-however often underestimated as a mere "matryoshka"

-was selected by Vartanyan because he assumes a woman cannot overthrow him

-and this means, quite unintentionally, Russia headed by a woman in 1927

-culminates in conquest of last bits of Bukhara in 1928

-which she successfully leverages to become popular

-having successfully build popularity as strong leader after conquests, wins re-election in 1929

-and engages in democratization in no small part to truncate power of her opponents

-this democratization is, however, less far-reaching than it may look on first glance

-in this era the success of the new industrial state sees its apotheosis

-with French Wars > Sixth French War (1937-41) decides against intervening

-but nevertheless sales with French giving it a pretty buck

-and in 1939 there's enough unpopularity over her war stance a petition to recall issued

-she triumphs

-downfall comes with first postwar slump, then she suffers a stroke

-means she has no chance of re-election

-but she runs anyways

1942 def. Lidia Korsakova (Young Russia -- Reelectionist)

1952: Deposed in recall plebiscite

-served as leading and charismatic sociologist in the Free Economic Society

-when Korsakova declares her desire to run for reelection, Antipov decides to use his position in moral power to denounce her

-and drafted as High Chief Administrator in election

-wins

-institutes broad term limits for chief administrators

-especially one-term limit for High Chief Administrator

1952 def.

1957: Overthrown in military coup

-was a captain of industry in Petrograd

-from there owned a newspaper which got him and a delegation into the Sobor

1957: Ran unopposed

1972: Ran unopposed

-military dictator

-who convenes a New Young Russia party to unite the nation

-engages in backsliding but without actually amending the Constitution

-sees Russia's Wars > Second Kazakh War of Independence (1972-5)

-controversial use of pupillary bomb in Almaty intensifies opposition to his regime

-censure by many western states

-Russian economy tanks

-culminates in pro-democracy dissidents seeing massive amounts of support from elites and they win

1975 def.

1980: Wins in recall plebiscite

-major pro-democracy dissident

-lets Kazakhstan go

-leaves office peacefully in 1990 and lives a long retirement where he seeks to defend democracy

1990 def.

1995: Deposed in recall plebiscite

1995 def.

2010 def.

2015: Wins in recall plebiscite

2020: Wins in recall plebiscite