Balkanized Russia?

In 1990, shortly before the Soviet collapse and at the height of his conflict with a weakened Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin famously declared to the non-Russian ethnic republics to “grab all the sovereignty you can.”
I wonder if Yeltsin's carelessness could have somehow reached an even higher level, resulting in complete decentralization and the "ethnic republics" becoming pretty much independent states, perhaps even with some mechanism for eventually formally declaring independence from Russia. Obviously there's not much that, for example, Tatarstan can do, being not only full of Russians but surrounded by Russia, but some of the border republics like Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Dagestan and of course Chechnya might take advantage of such a situation.
 
I wonder if Yeltsin's carelessness could have somehow reached an even higher level, resulting in complete decentralization and the "ethnic republics" becoming pretty much independent states, perhaps even with some mechanism for eventually formally declaring independence from Russia. Obviously there's not much that, for example, Tatarstan can do, being not only full of Russians but surrounded by Russia, but some of the border republics like Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, Dagestan and of course Chechnya might take advantage of such a situation.

Chechnya wants independence still, but because of resources Russia says it would devastate the economy and won't let them go. Why would they let them go then?
 
As far as I'm concerned Russia's already partly Balkanized. The Ukrainians and Belorussians are no longer part of it. Had the original Rus continued none of these countries would exist.
 
They are wrong because they overestimate medieval Sweden most dramatically.

That's what I was thinking but I was talking hypothetically. I was trying to think of what could happen if they did, and what I came up with dosen't make sense.
 
That's what I was thinking but I was talking hypothetically. I was trying to think of what could happen if they did, and what I came up with dosen't make sense.

I think Poland is far more likely as the agent of this disintegration...or even some kind of alt-Turkey/Steppe Empire.

16th/17th c. Sweden however is strong enough to contribute to some kind of permanent breakup.
 
As far as I'm concerned Russia's already partly Balkanized. The Ukrainians and Belorussians are no longer part of it. Had the original Rus continued none of these countries would exist.

It is, but I mean farther. There are plenty of other ethnic groups within Russia other than Belorussians and Ukrainians. A Tartar group or something.

I had this idea earlier and was wondering if it would work. Okay, so after WWI Allied forces came in through Siberia trying to restore the Monarchy and push out the Bolsheviks. What if some country like America, or probably UK, would set up a puppet state in Siberia, a sort of "Government-in-Exile" but not exactly. They could set up a state based on the British system with Parliament and Prime Minister. If it was America they set up the three branches with the President and what not. The capitol could be based around Vladivostok or something. Would something like that work out? I know that the Commies probably wouldn't like that, which may lead to a war, but none of them where in fighting shape? And what about when the USSR falls? Would the Governmens once again join, or would we be left with say The Republic of Russia (Siberia) and, for the sake of it, lets call them Muscovy (fallen USSR).
 
I think that you'd need to damage or destroy the Rus principalities in the Volga Basin. Muscovy got alot of lucky breaks, and has helped alsi my its dynastic ties. Prevent the rise of Muscovy, keep Mongol/Tatar control loose, and you might have the right combination for a greater diversity of states in what is today Russia.
 
The USSR and WWI proposals are OT in this forum.

Russis WAS balkanized OTL.

So what was the last sensible PoD to stop it being anything else?

Stop Vasily the Dark from defeating Shemyaka? Moscow, Tver, Novgorod, what other players keep their independence?
 

katchen

Banned
If Sudzalia retains it's independence and remains predominantly Finno-Ugric speaking, the entire Volga Basin can become a set of diverse Ugric speaking nations. Mariel. Mordovia. Chuvashia. Udmurtia. Komia. Maybe they'll finally coalesce into one nation, but it won't be Russian or Slavic speaking, but Finno-Ugrc speaking, with the Slavs farther South and West. The Tatars can have their own state too, as can Permia on the Kama and farther south in and around the Urals, Bashkhortostan, then Khantya and Mansiay to the east in the Ob Basin.
 
Time of Troubles? Sweden and Poland carve up portions of Russia and put their own Czars on thrones while a few Boyars here and there are independent and whoever grabs power in Siberia.
 
If Sudzalia retains it's independence and remains predominantly Finno-Ugric speaking, the entire Volga Basin can become a set of diverse Ugric speaking nations. Mariel. Mordovia. Chuvashia. Udmurtia. Komia. Maybe they'll finally coalesce into one nation, but it won't be Russian or Slavic speaking, but Finno-Ugrc speaking, with the Slavs farther South and West. The Tatars can have their own state too, as can Permia on the Kama and farther south in and around the Urals, Bashkhortostan, then Khantya and Mansiay to the east in the Ob Basin.

That's the kind of thing I was looking for!
 
That's the kind of thing I was looking for!
That's a more balkanized Russia, but your fundamental misconception is this:
y the extremely small, aristocratic Russians, who treat their peasants like slaves

Most Russians are Russian, or at least Rus'. It's not hard to keep them split into different states with an early enough POD, I think -- look how long the Germans went before unifying -- but for example:
I mean even more than what actually happened. There are more places north of Kazakhstan
There are places in the Caucus, and certainly you could have another power go east before the Russians ever get there, but when the Soviet Union fell *northern Kazakhstan* as it is was majority Russian.

That said, this is probably a good starting point for what you want:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republics_of_Russia

Of course, even in some of those ethnic republics Russians are the majority. (Not that it matters too much, especially if externally imposed! But no matter what, by the time there IS a "Russia" as opposed to "the Rus'", I think you are going to end up with a huge number of Russians in your extra-balkanized Russia. They were not "extremely small", but the aristocratic Russians did treat the serf Russians/anything quite poorly.)
 
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