WI: No Russian coup of 1762
- Thread starter Socrates
- Start date
an increasingly democratic russia, where the peasants and newer middle class would flock to support the emperor, and depending if the reforms included freedom of religion, he would have a huge support from the central asian muslims in the empire
There might even be a greater/earlier partition of Poland, depending on how pro-Prussian
There might even be a greater/earlier partition of Poland, depending on how pro-Prussian
Peter III was an idiot. Plain and simple. His wife, Catherine would have tried to over-through him one way or another and probably succeed. In his six month reign, Peter managed to piss off the nobility, the church, and the army. He changed the army uniforms to the hated Prussian colors, tried to take the lands of the church and I'm not sure what he did to piss of the nobles but it was probably tied into the army. Not to mention he planned a war with Denmark over the Duchy of Holstein, a pointless war. He also abolished the secret police, a popular move, but made t even easier to plot against him. Al and all, if there wasn't a plot against Peter in 1762 then there would have been one at a later date.
So we have two very different views so far! Would Peter have been as pro-Prussian if Prussia had collapsed before he came to power? I understood it was the betrayal of Russia in the war by the absurdly generous peace treaty that was the main thing behind his removal, but this doesn't exist here.
I know the church hated him (due to his religious freedom edicts) and so did the army (due to the reforms), but I thought the nobility would like the freedoms he gave them. The peasants also liked him, as was shown by Pugachev claiming to be him to benefit from his popularity.
Perhaps if he played out the reforms more slowly, he might have still had a coup, but an ineffective or partial one, resulting in a civil war of competing factions (e.g. Catherine supported by certain nobles and church, and Peter supported by other nobles and peasants)
It would be a coup, but not in 1762
It would be a coup, but not in 1762
Perhaps if he played out the reforms more slowly, he might have still had a coup, but an ineffective or partial one, resulting in a civil war of competing factions (e.g. Catherine supported by certain nobles and church, and Peter supported by other nobles and peasants)
It would be a coup, but not in 1762
I agree. Some of the reforms Peter III wanted to do could be helpful in the long run but in the short term it just pissed of all the various Russian factions in both the government and military. Not to mention Peter's refusal to be crowned also lessened his legitimacy in the eyes of the people. Perhaps without the disastrous peace with Prussia, Peter wouldn't lose popularity.