A question I've found myself wondering the last few weeks is what would Russia gain in the event of a late Entente victory in WW1, with no revolution (or one delayed for another few years) and therefore no Brest-Litovsk treaty. For this scenario, let's presume the United States still joins the war on the Entente's side, and with a large(r) part of the German army still in the east because of a lack of peace with the Russian government, the war ends a few months earlier.
I understand the Russians wanted the Straits, and would likely support Serbian and Romanian claims against Austria-Hungary, so my question is three fold:
1) Aside from the Straits, what are the Russian aspirations against the Ottoman Empire?
2) How far would Russia go in supporting Serbian and Romanian claims against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and what further designs did they have there?
3) As for Poland, my understanding is that Sazonov intended, perhaps with the support of the rest of the government, for an autonomous Poland to be created with its own religious, linguistic, and internal political "freedom" composed of the former lands of Congress Poland which was to receive Posen, parts of Silesia, West Galicia (with the eastern Ukrainian part going to Russia) and (maybe) West Prussia. How likely was this to be carried out? Even if autonomous Poland did not come to fruition, a victorious Russia cleaving off Galicia from Austria-Hungary and Posen from Germany seems likely. And it seems like there were some Poles, like Dmowski, who saw unification of all the Polish lands under Russia as the first step towards liberation. As I understand it, Russia had mellowed out in their treatment of the Poles since 1905, especially when compared to the Germans.
And finally, how likely is revolution to break out in Russia regardless? It seems like this victory at the end of WW1 would perhaps help allow the Tsarist government a little bit more time to limp on, but the underlying causes and faults would still need further reforms on the government's part, which a potentially emboldened leadership might not be so willing to give.
I understand the Russians wanted the Straits, and would likely support Serbian and Romanian claims against Austria-Hungary, so my question is three fold:
1) Aside from the Straits, what are the Russian aspirations against the Ottoman Empire?
2) How far would Russia go in supporting Serbian and Romanian claims against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and what further designs did they have there?
3) As for Poland, my understanding is that Sazonov intended, perhaps with the support of the rest of the government, for an autonomous Poland to be created with its own religious, linguistic, and internal political "freedom" composed of the former lands of Congress Poland which was to receive Posen, parts of Silesia, West Galicia (with the eastern Ukrainian part going to Russia) and (maybe) West Prussia. How likely was this to be carried out? Even if autonomous Poland did not come to fruition, a victorious Russia cleaving off Galicia from Austria-Hungary and Posen from Germany seems likely. And it seems like there were some Poles, like Dmowski, who saw unification of all the Polish lands under Russia as the first step towards liberation. As I understand it, Russia had mellowed out in their treatment of the Poles since 1905, especially when compared to the Germans.
And finally, how likely is revolution to break out in Russia regardless? It seems like this victory at the end of WW1 would perhaps help allow the Tsarist government a little bit more time to limp on, but the underlying causes and faults would still need further reforms on the government's part, which a potentially emboldened leadership might not be so willing to give.