| |||||
Capital | Saint Petersburg | ||||
Largest city | Moscow | ||||
Demonym | Russian | ||||
Government | Federal constitutional monarchy | ||||
Tsar | Oleg I | ||||
Prime Minister | Dmitry Medvedev | ||||
Area | 21,799,825 km² | ||||
Currency | Russian ruble | ||||
Internet TLD | .ru |
The Russian Empire (Russian: Pоссийская Империя Rossiyskaya Impyeriya) is a confederate constitutional monarchy expanding from Eastern Europe to Far Eastern Asia. The empire has existed from 1721 and was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia. It is one of the largest empires in world history, surpassed in landmass only by the British and Mongolian empires: at one point in 1866, it stretched from eastern Europe across Asia and into North America.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Russia was the largest country in the world, extending from the Arctic Ocean to the north to the Black Sea on the south, from the Baltic Sea on the west to the Pacific Ocean on the east. With 125.6 million subjects registered by the 1897 census, it had the third largest population of the world at the time, after Qing China and the British Empire. It represented a large disparity in economic, ethnic, and religious positions. Its government, ruled by the Emperor, was one of the last absolute monarchies in Europe. Following the reforms of Tsar Alexis II it evolved into a constitutional monarchy based on the United States of Greater Austria model. Today it is one of the great powers of the world today.
History[]
Alexis II[]
After the death Tsar Nicholas II on Christmas day 1922, his son Alexei was declared Tsar of Russia. At the age of 18, the reign of Alexis II showed promise of change in the Empire. During his reign, he would be called the "Tsar of the People," as his reforms of Russia would lead to a cultural revolution in the once closed of and traditional monarchy. As part of this campaign, Alexis II slightly changed the traditional title of the Russian monarch from "Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias" to "Emperor and Guardian of All the Russias".
During his reign, he would see a strong similarity between the ethnic tensions in Russia, as did the United States of Greater Austria had decades ago. Beginning in the 1940s, Alexis II would implement reforms in the nation. The reforms would lead to more rights for the working class and peasantry of Russia, and would begin to help out with them on developing new lives. The Far East was seen by many as the new frontier of Russia. Alexei would begin reforms to promote the growth and expansion of the empire eastward. The Trans-Siberian railroad would become expanded. Cities such as Vladivostok and Novosibirsk became major economic hubs of Asia within a few years. The eastward expansion would lead to a rise of pro-Alaskan-Russian sentiment in the once Russian colony. By the 1940s and 50s, the Russian Empire would continue to claim that Alaska was still legally Russia and the US was only "renting it". The Alaskan statehood ideas were lost as the Alaskan debate would continue. To this day, Alaska is a debated region.
Though he failed to return Alaska to Russia, Alexis was successful in negotiating the partitioning of Persia with the Imperial Federation of Britain after a Islamic revolution there toppled the Shah in 1979.
Alexei was formally titled "Alexis the Healthy," honoring his long reign despite his worldwide known illness. However, his reign would not last for ever. On March 7, 1983, Alexei's haemophilia would finally take his life.
Oleg I[]
Alexei's oldest son Oleg was appointed Emperor at the age of 26. He promised the Russian people that he would follow in the footsteps of his father.
One of the major issues he had to overcome was the growing popularity of nationalism within Russia. After years of debate, Oleg would begin to show similar interests as Franz Ferdinand did almost a century ago. He proposed that the Empire should be transformed into a new nation. In 2005, the Russian Empire was transformed into a confederation.