All You Need to Know about the Russian Empire

All You Need to Know about the Russian Empire Russian History until the 1917 Revolution. ChaptersWhen was the Russian Empire, and how Big was it?The Origins of the Russian EmpireThe Great Emperors of RussiaImperial Russia’s Political SystemThe Decline of the Russian EmpireConclusion.Have you ever wondered what was happening in Russia before that famous Bolshevik revolution in 1917? Have you ever heard of Catherine the Great â€" or even Peter the Great â€" and wondered why they were so great? Maybe you are unsure about how exactly Russia got quite so large.In this piece, we focus on the Russian Empire and we’ll answer any questions you may have about what was history’s third-largest empire (after the British Empire and Genghis Khan’s). So, whether you are studying for the AQA A Level in Tsarist Russia, or if you are just intrigued by the topic, we’ll take you through everything from the Russian Empire's early origins to its political system and great fall.extended Russia to the Pacific Ocean by conquering Siberia. The moment of the 1721 imperial announcement fol lowed Russia’s victory over the Swedish Empire in what is known as the Great Northern War, in which Russia gained control of the Baltic. At this point, Estonia and Livonia (a province of Sweden) also became Russian. Further expansions into Siberia and into Persia shortly followed.From Tsar to EmperorBut then why did the state change from a tsardom to an empire? Whilst the Romanov family â€" including Michael of Russia â€" had all been successful monarchs, to name yourself an Emperor was essentially to say that you were better than a king. And, for Peter the Great, who was generally in thrall to European traditions and wanted Russia to catch up, this was obviously quite important. MarkHistory Teacher 5.00 (3) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JohnHistory Teacher 5.00 (8) £30/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MarjotteHistory Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors ErinHistory Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors Chantell eHistory Teacher 5.00 (2) £17/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors AndriyHistory Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PeterHistory Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors SerenaHistory Teacher £15/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsThe Great Emperors of RussiaPeter the Great (1682-1725)As you can probably tell by his name, Peter I has always been quite an important monarch for the Russians. He is credited with changing many of the ways in which the country operated at the time.He founded and built St. Petersburg, the city that became the capital until 1917, and relocated the government there from Moscow. He is credited with turning the Russian army into a modern machine, taking inspiration from western Europe.This modernising zeal is said to have been inspired by his Grand Embassy through Europe, in which he traveled across the continent in disguise. He was very impressed by the industry, politics, and military of western Europe and believe d Russia to be very backward.As a result, he enforced modern dress in Russia (including a tax on beards) and, in 1700, changed the Russian calendar to the Julian Calendar.Peter the Great founded the Russian Empire in 1721.Catherine the Great (1762-1796)Another ‘great’ Russian, Catherine was an admirer of Peter and continued his process of modernising Russia. Under Catherine, there was something of a golden age in Russia, with what has become known as the Russian Enlightenment, a flourishing of art and culture.Catherine very enthusiastically supported the conquest of Alaska, and during her reign ‘Russian America’ developed. At the same time, she freed aristocrats from military service and extended control over Poland.In 1767, she established a Grand Commission in Moscow, which functioned something like a parliament and was made up of 652 members of different classes â€" from officials to burghers â€" and of various provinces. Its role was to establish the wishes of the people and frame a new constitution.Alexander II (1855-1881)By the reign of Alexander II, the Russian empire had left its golden age and was passing through the period of social discontent and unrest that led to the revolutionary movements that ultimately brought about communism.However, Alexander himself was an enthusiastic reformer. In 1861, he famously liberated the peasantry from bondage, abolished corporal punishment, and promoted university education.This Emperor was killed by assassination, after previous attempts, by revolutionary socialists.Imperial Russia’s Political SystemAbsolute MonarchyThe political system of the Russian Empire was ‘absolute monarchy’ â€" a system in which there were no institutional limitations on royal power. The system was highly autocratic, as evidenced by Peter’s forcible removal of people’s beards.However, the issue for the monarchy was that there was never really any effective means to wield power over its people across the great length of t he empire. Local officials were often unreliable and isolated communities and peoples rarely felt the force of the law.Government ReformAs we have seen, however, the monarchs tried to implement many reforms to liberalise the country, often under the inspiration of western European enlightenment thinkers such as Rousseau and Voltaire.After the 1905 Revolution â€" which was itself the result of the social agitation in which the assassinations played a part â€" the Duma was established, an elected body that had the power to make laws. This was the first time such a thing had existed, whilst the same revolution established a party system and granted citizens rights including the rights to assembly, free speech, and conscience.Whilst the monarch still had significant power â€" including the power of veto â€" the achievements of the Revolution brought about the conditions that would eventually lead to his demise.Religion and EthnicityConsidering the size of the Russian Empire, the people over which it ruled were hugely multi-ethnic and gave loyalty to many different religions. However, the official religion was Russian orthodox: the emperor had to be orthodox, whilst the Holy Governing Synod was a representative function of the church in government.But this body was the result of Peter the Great’s distrust of the church, which he kept under a tight leash by appointing all bishops. Catherine, too, did not think very highly of the church, rather using much of the money earned by their lands to fund her wars.Under Catherine’s reign, Jews were considered foreigners and did not have the same freedoms as Orthodox Russian citizens. She also tried to maintain control of the Muslim population, who, in Russia, were traditionally nomadic. In her reign, towns were built specifically for Muslims to keep them from moving around the empire.The Decline of the Russian EmpireWith the increasing political unrest within the Empire, the rule of law and the monarch’s position was s everely tested â€" by strikes, assassinations, demonstrations, terrorism, and ultimately, the 1905 revolution.The Duma created the conditions for political differences to flourish and it symbolised the growing role of the people and opposition towards the monarch. It would seem that the Emperor, Nicholas II, knew that he did not have the control that he once did, and his repression was heavy handed, with huge increases in death penalties.Revolution and WarRussia entered World War I in defence of the Serbs, with whom they had an alliance. They ultimately fought with the British and French against the Germans, Austrians, and Ottoman Empire. Throughout much of the imperial period, Russia had fraught relations with the Ottomans, whose own empire was on Russia’s doorstep. However, the First World War didn’t go well for either of these powers, as they both collapsed â€" literally ceasing to exist.In 1917, Russia experienced a rerun of the 1905 revolution â€" however, this time, led by the Bolsheviks, it was successful in overthrowing the monarchy. Its war campaign collapsed and the country plunged into a civil war between the supporters of the revolution and the supporters of the monarchy.As we know, the Bolsheviks won, and declared a republic that brought the Empire to an end.Lenin's revolution ended the Russian Empire in 1917.Conclusion.If you want to know more about empires in general, or about the Qing Dynasty or the Roman Empire in particular, we have many other articles on these topics.