The Second Patriotic War - An Alternate Russia TL

[Surge]

“The Second Patriotic War was birthed from the demise of Bismarck’s Concert of Europe, A Storm was coming, it was inevitable, and Russia needed to prepare, and the Tsar and his Union did just that, and we as a people survived because of that” - The Second Patriotic War, Grigory Anatolievich Kargin, 1953

Prologue​

The Storm was Coming, a Web of Alliances was growing, and hostility between those within the web as well. And with that, Bismarck’s Concert of Europe was dying, for the very way it functioned depended on all powers pushing and pulling against one another for their own interests. And in the Heart of one of these powers, Chaos was unfolding, just a few years after the concern’s revival

The Russian Empire was the world's largest empire, spanning multiple ethnicities, cultures and religions. Alexander II, the Late Tsar of Russia had transformed the backwater empire into a developing industrial power, He was about the bring about the establishment of a constitution, finalized, it was to be proposed, when the Tsar was Assassinated by Nikolai Rysakov and Ignacy Hryniewiecki, Members of the anarchistic group, Narodnaya Volya, of which Vladimir Lenin's eldest Brother, Aleksandr Ulyanov, was a member of, and was hung for being one as well.

This would leave Russia in the hands of Alexander III, an Autocrat through and through, and would dash away the dreams of any level of democracy or constitution in his Empire. This left Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, as Heir Apparent.

1891 - Chapter 1 - Adversity, The Teacher​

Nicholas had spent 23 years on this earth, and for the past decade his Father had been Tsar of All Russia, and should the eventuality arise for him to have to take helm of the nation, he would be unfit to do so. Nicholas was a gentle soul, he did not have his father’s sheer will and forcefulness. Merely a Decade prior, he would watch the Tsar, Alexander II, pass away after an assassination attempt, a bomb had hit the carriage, but the Tsar was fine. That was until he stepped out, and a second bomb landed on his feet. At that moment, Tsar Alexander II was as good as dead.

Nicholas had not yet been prepared to be a tsar, for the current reigning tsar was a mere 46, and he would have many years to teach his son how to be a Tsar effectively, this is what the Tsar, Alexander III, thought at least. Sergei Witte, the minister of finance, thought otherwise, For the Tsesarevich should be as prepared as possible. Under Witte’s Advice, The Tsar relented, and Nicholas was put on the Siberian Railway Council. His role was to administer the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Nicholas had seen the railway before, on May 19th, 1891, he had visited and laid some ceremonial stones to signify the beginning of construction. But that was all ceremonial, smoke and mirrors, no real work done. Now he was doing work, and by god’s grace, he was the Tsesarevich, and that meant he must try his damn hardest to do a good job.

Over the course of the Tsesarevich’s role in the council, Sergei would become less an advisor to the Tsar, but more a mentor to Nicholas. Nicholas would grow more accustomed to leading, since his childhood, he was always a gentle soul, more bookish, not really a willful man like his father. But now, he could lead, he learned the art of delegation, he could give firm orders, even if such forcefulness was against his personality. He had all in all, come into the role of a Leader.

With the Tsar having a personal connection to the project, more focus, funding and more were given to the project. Nicholas, having thrown himself into the work, tried to expedite production, Nicholas focused on every little detail, as Sergei described to the Tsar in 1883, a year after Nicholas joined the Council. In the end, Nicholas’ connections and focus would help the project, With the South Ussari Rail finishing in 1893, and the Northern Rail finishing in 94. This was due to a gamble Nicholas had undertaken, pushing for an earlier start of construction on the Northern Rail, that coming with increased labor and material cost. Despite this, it had paid off with an expedited project.

“Nicholas was a Studious man, focused on his work, looking in every nook and cranny of the project to find a solution, but he was not just an administrator, no, he began to act like a leader, barking orders, delegating, and all sorts of things. It seems that his involvement has been fruitful” - Diaries of the First Russian Prime Minister, Sergei Witte

1894​

Nicholas laid in bed, sleeping softly, his dreams that night were not soft however, they were chaotic, dangerous, it could only be described as a nightmare. Nicholas began to toss and turn as the dream continued. Tsar Alexander III shot, that's what the papers read in Nicholas’ dream. Nicholas than began to hear conversations he couldn’t see. “He was shot in the Kidney” he heard, “It's Inoperable” he heard the doctor say. The sounds, the chaos, the fear, it all came to a crescendo of mind numbing, unescapable noise. Nicholas just wanted it to stop, and so he shut his eyes, and it stopped, he feared opening them, fearing the idea that the noise may return. But he had to open them, and so he did, and there he sat in front of his Father, The Tsar’s Casket.

Nicholas awoke in a cold sweet. It was merely a nightmare, his Father was alive, His father was alive, the tsar was alive, he was not going to ascend to the throne, not yet at least. Nicholas walked the halls of the Palace, only to stop at a portrait of his Grandfather. As he stared into the eyes of the painting, the memory of his father clutching his fist, just after hearing his own father’s last words, came back to him.

“You have a legacy, You had plans” he thought to himself as he internally spoke to his grandfather, “They were not finished, god struck you down, not because you had betrayed him, but because Russia was not ready for you. Your Legacy is unfinished, and someone must finish it”. After this, Nicholas went back to sleep, with no nightmares to be seen, nor dreams in general for a matter of fact.

 

[Surge]

Chapter 1.5 - Nicholas, The Tsar

“Kidney Failure, that's what they said”​

Alexander III was dying, he had failed to part with any meaningful training for his son, and now his days were numbered, on October 21st, Fiancé to Nicholas, Princess Alix, would meet with the Tsar to receive his blessing, and he would be in full dress uniform to grant it. This exhausted him, and on November 1st, he would pass on from this world. Leaving his Son, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov, as Tsar of All Russia. Doubts circled in his head, he had no training, all he had done was run the construction of a railway. He wasn’t meant to be Tsar, he was only 26, but in the end this was the case.

Nikolai II Aleksandrovich Romanov, was Tsar of All Russia, and despite feeling somewhat unprepared for the role, he was grateful for his experience on the Railroad. But the doubts wouldn’t let him rest, His Family arrived on November 13th, and on November 18th, Alexander III, The Late Tsar of All Russia, The Peacemaker, was laid to rest. That night, Nicholas couldn't sleep, the past two weeks had taken a toll, he felt as if he wasn’t fit for the role. As he paced the halls in silence, trying to reconcile his doubts in his skill to what he felt had to be done, he passed by his Grandfather’s portrait, stopped to look at it, and left for the church.

The Sun had fallen nearly six hours ago, and yet Nicholas was going to church, to pray. He sought to end the doubts in his mind, but prayer alone would not settle them, but it would put him on the path to confidence. Rising from his prayer, he would later write down in his journal the next morning “I am the Tsar of All Russia, and so it is my duty to lead, God gave me this duty, and so i shall carry it out with all the might i can muster”.

The next few days passed by like a blur, but Sergei would wind up knocking on Nicholas’ office door, “Your Imperial Majesty, may we talk for a moment”. Sergei sat down, and launched into a speech “Your Imperial Majesty, your father was a fierce lion, with a strong will, he built this nation into an autocracy, he built a court of supporters of such an autocracy, these men, these supporters are sly devils, yet your father tamed them, he tamed the lion’s den that was his court. And forgive me, but i shall be blunt, you do not have such a will, the mere sight of your gaze, your disapproval won’t make these devils stop whatever they are conversing about with someone else. To you, his court is a den of vipers, filled with snakes, you may not be a lion, but you can be a fox, and that is the snake’s worst fear, to face someone equal in skill”

​

Sergei got up from his seat and left without another word, and Nicholas was left to ponder this, and he would, even in his sleep. As he slept, pictures, portraits of Grandfather and Father would appear before his eyes, with a pulsating glow emanating from behind them, the Former, the Liberator, a beacon for a reformed Russia, and the latter, the peacemaker, an icon for a renewed Russian autocracy. Nicholas couldn’t pick between the two, yet in this dream he felt he must. He couldn’t however, and so he was punished by his own mind by being welcomed back to reality, he was awake, and he would stay awake for the rest of the day.

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Because of this, Nicholas leapt to his feet and tried to meet with his Brother-in-law, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, who was set to depart that morning, The Grand duke was groggy, it was only 5 in the morning after all. “Alex, I'm only 26, and I'm Tsar of all Russia, how am I, just… What is going to happen to me and all of Russia?” To which Alexander, despite his groggy state replied "You are God's Chosen Tsar of Russia, His Hand will guide you, as he had done with all past Tsars but look back at your father and grandfather, God can strike Tsars down as well, so be careful, and do know History will guide you just as much as God."

Tsar Nicholas and his soon to be wife, Alexandra Feodorovna on their wedding day
​

A few more days past, and soon it was November 26th, Nicholas' Wedding day, which he had moved up by several months. It was a quaint wedding for a Ruling Monarch, not some big event, likely due to its expedited nature. The Tsar would marry Princess Alix, a German Princess, who would take on the Russian Name, Alexandra Feodorovna. Some of the more powerful Royals were there, Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, the Rest of Nicholas' Family and Alexandra's Family, and on invite of Nicholas himself, Kaiser Wilhem II, a cousin of Nicholas, who brought along his children.

That Night, having married Alix, Now Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna, he thought of the future, coming to a simple conclusion. Nicholas stepped out onto a balcony, the sun had set many hours prior and he would mutter to himself "As Alexander said, I am God's Chosen Tsar, his hand guides my Actions, as he did so with my Father, and my Grandfather, But he was wrong in one regard, God struck down my Father, but it was by the People's hand that my Grandfather was struck down, not god, and it was not through my Grandfathers actions that brought him down, no, it was his failure to protect himself. This Country needs a change in course, Russia wasn't ready for it, but they will be now, even if it kicks and screams, i will not have god strike me down, nor will i have the people, angered by inaction or radical action, do it for him. I must protect Russia, and to do that i must survive, and so change must begin."

The Tsar would remain on the balcony for little over a half hour, looking out to the lifeless city, its denizens in blissful slumber, unaware of the fact that Russia’s soul was in limbo. Sergei would meet with him during that time. “Sergei, my father said to trust you, and so I shall, you are not only a friend or a mentor, you are to be an ally. As you said earlier, it's a den of snakes, but would a snake wish to face off against the Eagle, in public, The Fox, in private, and his agent the…” Nicholas looked at Sergei deciding which animal Sergei would be, with himself being the Fox and Eagle “... and his agent, the owl, all at once. I don’t the snakes would.”

Sergei paused before speaking “Nicholas, if I may, the court will be harder to tame if you go against it, and i can see it in your eyes that you plan to, we need more allies beside you and me”

“You can?, let us hope it is because you have known me for so long, but anyways, let me reassure you, more will come in due time, and Russia will change.” Nicholas then went back to bed, but before he could, his old friend got a final word in, "We must tread carefully, Nicholas," and the two departed from the balcony, but as he left, Sergei stopped, and suddenly stood taller, confidence was in the air that night, and both the Tsar and his ally, the owl, could feel it.

 

[Surge]

Chapter 2 - The Eagle’s Crown, and a Duke’s Blood

Tsar Nicholas II's Coronation

“The Tsar is young, eager, and in the shadow of his uncle. Hopefully he breaks this shell, especially after our discussion a few nights ago” - Sergei Witte​

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Upon his Accession to the Throne, Tsar Nicholas was presented with a document, a letter, expressing reforms the zemstvos’ most liberal members desired. He was to make a speech on it, one that would define his reign in the eyes of the public. He had to be careful, his words had to be chosen carefully.

“It has come to my knowledge that during the last months there have been heard in some assemblies of the zemstvos the voices of those who have indulged in a dream that the zemstvos be called upon to participate in the government of the country. I want everyone to know that I have heard you, and I will consider such a proposal. But, I must also remind everyone of the rights and powers the zemstvos held upon their creation, powers that have been restricted and removed through the persecution of these groups. With this in mind, this persecution ends today, and these rights and powers are to be restored”

As Nicholas left the room, Sandro, the nickname of Grand Duke Alexander, caught up with Nicholas only a few minutes later. “Pray explaining that decision, your imperial majesty?”

“Well Sandro, Thee zemstvos asked for far too much, but through my consideration of such reforms, even if I reject them, and I will, I will be seen as reasonable, not an enemy, perhaps even sympathetic because of the restoration of rights. And it’ll go well, you saw how they dealt with the famine, speaking of which…” The Tsar walked away, never finishing the sentence. But, news would travel of Interior Minister Ivan Durnovo’s promotion to Chairman of Council of Ministers and Ivan Goremykin would take his place as Minister of the Interior. There would be more changes within the Russian Government following Durnovo's promotion, with Iosif Romeiko-Gurko removed from the position of Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland and Lobanov-Rostovsky appointed as Minister of Internal Affairs.

Within the next months, Nicholas would engage in the first international act of his reign, the Triple Intervention against Japan. Japan’s Victory in the Sino-Japanese War had been a shock, and its acquisition of the Liaodong Peninsula, and Port Arthur threatened Russia’s interests in the region. And so Nicholas set himself in motion, discussing with the French and German leadership a joint intervention. The German government wanted Russia to look to the east, away from itself, they also wanted territory in China and elsewhere, and hoped that goodwill with the Russian government would elicit support for that. The French, wanting to prevent the Russian government from getting too friendly with the German state, would also join in, as obliged by the Franco-Russian Alliance.

The Japanese on the other hand, were not in agreement with such an intervention, mainly because the intervention was directed against them. They attempted to enlist British and American support, that support would never come, and the Three powers had a combined might of 38 warships, compared to Japan’s 31, and nearly double Japan’s naval displacement. In the end, Japan would relent, and the Prime Minister, Itō Hirobumi, would announce the withdrawal of troops that May. In return for this, additional reparations would be placed upon the Chinese government, for an additional cost of 30 Million Kuping Tael.

1896
Khodynka, Moscow
​

Coronation Day, Nicholas was to be crowned, and the Peasants, the Russian people, would be granted many gifts for attendance. Half-pound of sausage, pound of bread, sweets and even commemorative mugs. It was a peasants delight. Nicholas’ Uncle, Grand Duke Sergei, and his Brother-in-law, Grand Duke Alexander who was called by family as Sandro, would be tasked with the festivities.

The field chosen was in a state of disrepair for it was used as a source of sand and dirt and had, because of this, been left crisscrossed with ditches. But despite Sergei’s apathy towards fixing the field, Sandro, would order it to be fixed and prepared for the celebration. By the time of the Coronation, it wasn't up to Alexander’s liking, but he would find satisfaction in getting Sergei to relent in some of his ideas for the festival. More Cossack units would be placed for crowd control, and they expected roughly 450,000 to 500,000 people to arrive, The Cossacks could handle that. However far more would arrive, 800K peasants in fact, would arrive for the Tsar’s Coronation.

The Vendors, stressed and scared, would begin throwing the goods into the crowds, as they became more and more excited, or to some, agitated. Some parts of the crowd became more and more chaotic, and the Tsar was completely unaware. People would begin to fall over themselves, they would trip, and be trampled, Cossacks would arrive to quell the crowds, and the situation calmed itself, through the use of threat of force and firehoses, but it did calm down. The Rowdy crowds would be kept under control for the rest of the day.

Later, as the Tsar prepared to enter the field, his uncle would make him aware of the incident.

“Your Imperial Majesty, there had been an incident” said the Grand Duke.

“What kind of incident?” said the Tsar.

“People have died, I-”

“How many are dead? No, How many people came?”

“I don’t know the numbers just yet, your imperial majesty, but it was more than we expected.”

"Damnit, This is meant to be a day of celebration, not one of mourning. I am going to cancel the celebrations."

"I would advise against that, your Imperial Majesty"

"How many people died?”

"It can still be a day of celebration"

"No, How many people died.”

“A little less than a hundred. Many more injured”

Nicholas wiped his brow, in relief, it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

“Where are they hospitalized?”

After hearing the answer, Nicholas would order the celebrations cancelled, despite Grand Duke Sergei’s disagreements with such an idea, as the Duke thought that such a historic event couldn’t be interrupted like this. Nicholas’ attendance to a Ball held by the French Ambassador would not go as planned. Instead, he would visit the Hospitals where the Peasants were recovering, personally talk to as many as he could that day, and if he could meet all of them, he would return the next day to do so.

Nicholas’ actions invoked praise from some, apathy from others who thought that this was the only course of action a tsar could take, and anger from those who felt that despite his actions, the deaths of 89 people laid on his hands. On the other hand, the governor-general of Moscow, Grand Duke Sergei, was blasted by the people in private. And so, despite the tragic nature of such an event, The Tsar and his reputation amongst the people emerged relatively unscathed.

 

[Surge]

1897 - Chapter 3 - Where Shall The Bear Go?

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Russia’s Foreign Policy, Nicholas needed to decide what his goals for Russia externally were. Bismarck’s Concert of Europe was dying, a network of alliances had grown, Germany had developed a Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy. And the French held their alliance with his nation, Russia. The only great power currently outside of this equation was Britain.

Nicholas thought long about his goals and aspirations for the Empire, he saw the need for the empire to reform, economically if not governmentally. He had already begun the process with his change of policy with the zemstvos. But the foreign affairs of the nation, that would be a tricky devil. Nicholas wanted a strong Russia, in all ways. He wanted to expand Russia’s influence in the east, he knew that much, but the true question in his mind was how far he would go, was the far east destined to be Russia’s domain.

Nicholas didn’t believe so, Russia was, at the end of the day, a European power. Europe was where Russian influence would one day grow. But as long as the concert of Europe stood, stood sickly but it still stood, it would be unlikely as any route of expanding power there meant conflict with a great power. Russia for the time being, would have to choose its battles in Europe, and focus on the east for the meantime, Nicholas finally decided.

What was good for Nicholas however, was that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had died recently, and a replacement was needed. Nicholas would eventually settle on Mikhail Nikolaevich Muravyov for this role. As that concluded, Nicholas left to meet with his Finance Minister, his old friend and ally, Witte.

Witte had begun a monetary reform upon Nicholas’ ascension to the throne, transferring Russia to the Gold Standard, in order to increase investment from foreigners. Now, The Russian State Bank held nearly as much gold as current outstanding banknotes. This was helping the Russian currency, and in turn with other economic practices put in place by his father and Witte, the Russian economy was industrializing. However, this industrialization brought with it several issues, mainly, the rights of the workers.

By the middle of the year, a law would be passed to limit working hours to 11.5 hours a day, with an increase of inspections of the factories. Nicholas was also worried about the state of the peasantry in his nation, Whilst his Grandfather ended Serfdom on paper, in reality, serfdom remained, and the reparations the peasants had to pay enforced it. Nicholas understood this to some degree, and he knew that it was holding Russia back. Under Nicholas’ orders, these reparations would be lessened to 3/4th of what remained. This left the thought prevailing throughout the nation, if Nicholas intended to do more at a later time, giving great hopes for the peasantry of the nation, and great worry to the Russian nobility.

Several Evenings later, Nicholas would find great joy, for the Tsarina had birthed another child, and while yes, he was happy about the whole affair, the unfortunate part of it was that this child was a daughter, and thus not an heir. Two girls, two daughters, zero heirs. It frustrated the Russian people, their last tsar had died young, “could this tsar not do the same?” They thought. It was an understandable fear they held. But, The Tsar could do nothing about it, except pray for a son, an heir. As Nicholas looked out his window that evening, watching the city slumber, 14 hundred miles away, a young man would have his final slumber.

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St. Nicholas Monastery - Verkhoturye, Russia​

The young man, 28 years of age, had come from a Siberian village on a pilgrimage, and had toured the St. Nicholas Monastery, yet he was not a monk. He had stayed in the village for several months, been humbled by the elder there, and had become a changed man, he was transformed having becoming a religious man, whether he was a better man remain up for debate. Yet it was all for naught it seem, as another man, desperate in all manners of the word, brandished a knife at the pilgrim, hoping to gain something the pilgrim had not. And this interaction would leave the pilgrim with the knife in his chest, and within minutes, the pilgrim would close his eyes for the final time.

The Pilgrim’s wife and family would not hear of the news for weeks, but in the end, they would learn that their husband and father, a pilgrim by the name of Grigory Rasputin, was dead.

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1898​

Nicholas handed a letter to his Minister of Foreign affairs, he said nothing, handed him the letter, and sent him on his way. There were bigger thoughts in his mind, That being of Official Nationality, Pravoslávie, samoderzhávie, naródnost, Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality. The Concept and Doctrine was introduced by Nicholas I, revived by his father. And with that, specifically “Nationality”, came Russification. Nicholas wasn’t too opposed to it, Russia was meant to be Russian, he thought. But Russification had brought anger from many. Pan-Slavism however, had increasing become a popular school of thought, one Nicholas partook in himself. Perhaps this political doctrine could be introduced in a reform of his father’s policy, Nicholas thought.

A Reorientation of Nationality, away from that of the concept that Russia was built and founded by the Russian people, which had lend itself to support of russification. Nicholas theorized that the modern empire was founded by the Slavic people, with the Russians as first among equals. The Official change in policy, would be a matter of a few words, and a few orders. The meaning of Nationality, in terms of this policy would switch from “recognition of the state-founding role on the Russian nationality, and equal citizen rights for all other peoples inhabiting Russia ” to “recognition of the state-founding role on the Slavic people, and equal citizen rights for all other peoples inhabiting Russia” Alongside this, Nicholas would end the russification policy in the Baltics started by his father, seeing the Baltic Germans as vital allies to the Russian Regime within the nation, and seeing no need to antagonize them. Russification, because of this, would ramp down considerably in several areas, such as the Baltics or the polish territories. More indirect means being taken across the board, with some policies, such as the promotion of the Cyrillic alphabet would stay of course.

The Letter, Nicholas had handed off, nearly 30 minutes ago, would have even larger ramifications. Nicholas’s foreign minister would send a message from the Russian government to all representatives of foreign powers that evening. The message listed several issues plaguing the world, and would go on to state “this is now the highest duty for all States. Filled with this feeling, the sovereign emperor to command me deigned to appeal to the Governments of states, whose representatives are accredited at the Imperial Court, with a proposal to convene a conference in the form of discussing this important task”

These messages would result in what would be known as the Hague Conference, set to happen in 1899, and as it just so happened, it was set to happen on the Tsar’s birthday that year, the 18th of May.

1899​

At this Conference, which all of the great powers as well as multiple smaller powers attended, several things were agreed upon, among these things would be the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, what the rules of war on land and sea were to be, the manner in which explosives could be dropped from the sky, which was not at all according to the statute which all except the US and the UK signed, and the type of bullets that could be used.

Nearly a month to the day later, Nicholas would bear witness to the birth of his third child, once again a girl, her name was to be Maria. And once again, he was happy, but the lack of an heir loomed over not just his head, but his wife’s and the nation’s head. It worried them all.

But certain things worried Nicholas more, the literacy of his people for one, a Census occurred that year, and found that the literacy, the ability to read and write was far behind that of the other great powers. 31% and 13% respectfully, compared to the other western powers, which held literacy rates in the high 80s and 90s. It was unforgivable to Nicholas that this was the case, it only weakened the growth of the Empire.

This was an issue for Nicholas, a large one clearly, and so he brought it up with his Minister of Public education, wishing to establish some form of universal primary education. Enough so that his people could learn to read and write. Nicholas was a gentle soul, slightly bookish in some regards, and he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not to be able to explore the wondrous world that was literature, let alone rule as Tsar. These of course, weren’t concerns of the average Russian peasant, the “wonderous world of literature” meant little if it couldn’t help keep the farm running smooth. But Nicholas felt the desire to solve this problem, and so he set his minister off to increase primary education.

After these reforms, Nicholas went ahead to push for increased industrialization, Russia was industrializing, but was far from an industrial state, it in fact, lagged behind its western counterparts in even the basic industries, and this simply couldn’t stand for Nicholas. He ordered Witte to find a way to increase industrialization, which despite Nicholas’ eagerness to increase it, was already happening considerably faster than it was during his father’s or grandfather’s reign.

Witte would find a way, protectionist measures such as tariffs helped incentivize industrialization, increasing demand for goods that were not imported. He did his best to increase railroad construction even more than it already was. Further basic industries would prop themselves up, some companies would be given rights to hold a monopoly over these industries, others would be allowed to take a more competitive path, such as the textiles industry.

Labor Reform wouldn’t be forgotten, as free medical care was introduced, it would end up covering 70% of all industrial workers, remuneration for industrial accidents would also be introduced, requiring the employer to cover about 20% of the cost of the maintenance of the worker, though this would increase in the future. However, the workers were not so satisfied, The Government organized state-sponsored and supervised “unions”, legally they were just organizations as unions themselves were banned, these failed to appetize many, who went underground to form their own, unsupervised and illegal unions.

In the end, the clock would struck twelve, the morning sun would begin to come up in a few hours, and the dawn of the 20th Century had begun, Russia was changing, for better or for worse. The World was changing as well, Imperialism ran rampant as always, but the fragile peace was ending, Bismarck’s Concert of Europe was stumbling on, in a crippled state, and the great powers of the world eyed each other uneasily, forming alliance networks to defend one another. The Storm was brewing, but had yet to strike, as many knew and many feared it would.

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Many thanks to those who had contributed to the discussion of this timeline, or have just watched it. The fact people like my story telling enough to want to read it, and put so much effort in discussing it, amazes me, and I'm grateful for it. Happy Easter to all that celebrate it!

I'll also start to add footnotes to any deviations from our history at the end of these, starting now​

Spoiler: Footnotes!

Unfortunately, if you are reading this message, it means two things, that i found this little message funny enough to include, to which i hope you find it somewhat humorous as well, and that I have posted the chapter and have yet to add the footnotes, likely because I am tired and need sleep

 

[Surge]

To Start this off, This update will focus on the other nations around the world, and their goings-on. Because of this, there will be quite a bit of bouncing between years, hopefully y’all can understand it. The Next Russia update will send us back to the year 1900.

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Chapter 4 - The Shots Heard Around The World

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1900 - America

Washington D.C, America, the year is 1900 and President William McKinley and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt had just won reelection. With McKinley’s First Election, it seemed that the third party system, that of a republican north and democratic south was ending, Republican Dominance was here. Within the Democratic Party, there was talk of a revival of Bourbon Policies, and this was William Jennings Byran’s third nomination as the party’s candidate and he had failed all three times.

Theodore Roosevelt took office as Vice President in March of 1901, but despite his personality, he would be forced to sit on the sidelines of most things, for the next 6 months he would merely preside over the senate for 4 days. During these 6 months however, just days after his inauguration, the Platt Amendment passed [1], which granted Cuba an autonomous government, yet remained a territory under the control and protection of the United States. To satisfy this, an office above their elected head of state was formed and reserved for the American representative, much to the chagrin of the Cuban Populace. Roosevelt would however, on September 2nd, he would find himself speaking at the Minnesota State Fair. At this fair, he would utter a simple proverb that would become intrinsically connected to himself, “Speak softly and carry a big stick, and you will go far.”

2 days later, President McKinley would be shot, and 8 days after that, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt, would take the oath of office, and become the President of the United States. His Presidency would’ve been one of trust-busting, dealing with the breaking up of Northern Securities in Court, and many other actions such as negotiating the Treaty of American-Cuba Reassurance with the Autonomous Republic of Cuba, further enforcing the ability for the American government to intervene in the Autonomous Republic if it presents a threat to the safety and the security of the Cuban people, or their rights to property, life, and personal liberty, This would be commonly known as the Platt Provision. During this time of occupation, a Fringe movement known as the Cuban Statehood Front would begin to grow, wanting Cuba to become an official American State, it was made up of mostly poor Cubans, who had grown to like the administration of Leonard Wood. [2]

In 1905, Roosevelt began his second term, and remembered his election night, and though of how he nearly stated to announce that he would not run in 1908, Roosevelt didn’t plan to run in 1908, but his better judgement told him to not announce such a thing, less it cause his next efforts, now accompanied by a mandate to fulfill them to be stifled. [3]

The Platt Provision would come into use after Cuba’s 1905 Election, after the liberal party in Cuba, believing the Election was rigged, rose in revolt. Secretary of War Taft convinced Roosevelt to send troops back in, and occupy the nation once more. Leonard Wood would be requested to reassure his governorship of Cuba, which he accepted. This would bolster the still fringe Cuban Statehood Front, yet despite the reestablishment of the Republic later on, the Front maintained itself.

In early 1907, The Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court would pass away, as for his replacement, Roosevelt offered the Former Secretary of War, Taft, the position. This however meant that Taft, who was the presumptive republican nominee couldn’t run as Taft was reluctant to run in the first place. Roosevelt began to use his control over the party machinery to draft Governor-General Wood as his successor. Wood would accept the nomination, having won it by a hefty margin despite only nominally running it, likely due to the assistance of Roosevelt. [4]

Following his nomination, Wood would resign as Governor-General of Cuba, His successor would quickly judge that the nation was stable enough for an election, and in 1909, The Autonomous Republic of Cuba was reborn.


1901 - Bremen, Germany


On March 6th, A deranged worker of the name, Johann Dietrich Weiland aimed a pistol at the leaving Kaiser of Germany, and in a second, he would fire. The bullet leapt from the gun and sped along the air, finding its resting place in the shoulder of the Kaiser. [5] Johann would be quickly apprehended, and clearly deranged would be institutionalized. However, The Assassination wasn’t to be, as the Kaiser would survive the ordeal, but he would not fully recover from it.

Having lost a large amount of blood, the Kaiser’s health was severely weakened, and despite his apparent recovery from the assassination until 1903, following his birthday in 1903, he would begin to weaken, with his appointed Chancellor increasing his power within the government as he began to, with or without permission of the ailing Kaiser or in the interest of the Kaiser, act on behalf of the Kaiser. Others would also amass some sort of increased authority, as the Kaiser would become more and more of a figurehead. Yet, Kaiser Wilhelm II would still retain authority, control and power over his government and nation, never being relegated to a mere ceremonial position as a national figure head.

1902 - Persia

A Iranian man by the name of Kambiz Nazeri raised up his rifle, aimed from the window of his apartment, and on December, 23, 1903, fired. The Bullet would find itself in the ground after passing through the neck of Vladimir Andreevich Kosogovsky, Commander of the Persian Cossack Brigade. [6]

His successor would be Fyodor Grigorievich Chernozubov, a man who was not fit to lead such a unit, for he lacked an ability to manage logistics, and couldn’t comprehend the composition of the brigade. Upon hearing of this, the Shah would suffer a heart attack, he would recover but he would not return to full health. As he lived vicariously following his brief meeting with death, he would be, a year later, forced to increase tariffs in order to pay for a Russian loan that he took to fund his living expenses [7]. With discontent rising in the Shahdom, The Brigade would come under pressure, and with discontent rising in the brigade, officers would only reluctantly follow the orders of the Commander.

This issue wouldn’t be helped following the attack on the Commander. Seeing him unfit for duty, the Brigade Mutinied, and fell into disarray as it descended into factionalism over who should be the next leader. Chernozubov would be relieved of command and shifted over to another unit while Vladimir Liakhov would eventually be able to secure control over the Brigade.

The Collapse of the Brigade would eventually spark the Persian Constitutional Revolution. At the tail end of 1905, a few months after the brigade reorganized itself, the Shah would sign a constitution, and within a few weeks, would die of a second heart attack.

His successor would attempt to undo the actions of his late father, and remove the constitution. This resulted in the Shelling of the Majlis by the Brigade. In the chaos of the attack, perceived traitors to the Revolution such as Sheikh Fazlollah Noori would be executed, though it would be claimed that it was done by Russian Shells, the bodies of the “traitor” would quickly be burned. Following this, the situation seemed to calm down, however that was quickly proven to be a farce as protests erupted across the nation. Russia and Britain both attended the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1906 to establish clear boundaries of their spheres of influence. The British had agreed to shift support to the Shah and away from the constitutionalists a month after the convention. But during that month, it became clear that Russia was losing control over their sphere of influence in Persia as the Brigade was ordered to the border of Russia and Persia, and following this, the British declined to follow the agreement.

Nicholas, having thought about the decision for weeks, and as he would later say for the rest of his reign, against his better judgement, order the Brigade to return the Russian Border, as he wished to avoid an intervention so soon after the sacking of Dragomovic. [8] A young Lieutenant in the brigade at the time, Reza Pahlavi, would stay behind, forming the Persian National Brigade, a Successor to the Cossack Brigade.

In late 1907, The Pro-British PM would fall from grace and a Nationalist, Anti-Western, Pro-Republican group would rise to power, something that would weigh the dice towards conflict between Russia, who wanted control over their sphere back, and Persia. And so the dice were to be tossed.

---

Spoiler: Footnotes!

[1] - The Actual Platt Amendment stipulated conditions for American Withdrawal, this TL's version would establish a Cuban protectorate more akin to the Philippines.
[2] - This is an entirely fictional organization.
[3] - Roosevelt avoided that mistake on that night, which in this TL has granted him some increase power to leverage congress with.
[4] - This is where America begins to diverge, Taft is on the Supreme court as he wanted to be, and Roosevelt had found a progressive successor to himself.
[5] - Inour timeline, Johann threw a iron strap at the Kaiser, which only slightly wounded him, in this TL, it is far worse.
[6] - Completely Fictional event, but one that set the dice a-flying in Iran
[7] - The Tariffs and the Loan happen a year in advance, mainly only to shift the events a year earlier to have them happen faster, but uhhhhhh, i didn't tell you that, Capeesh.
[8] - He gets sacked eventually!

 

[Surge]

Taking the advice of folks, This update will be a slower pace than my usual updates, largely trying to focus this world's Nicholas II and his thoughts on Russia and what it needs to do, Rather than the more "Broad Strokes" Approach (That's what I'll call it at least) that my previous updates were. This doesn't mean Changes to Russia don't occur, they do, its just on a smaller scale than what i have been writing about, and because of that, took me a while longer to write about, despite it being the same length of my past updates, cause well, I'll be Frank, as much as i love this period of Russia History, and just find Russian History interesting in general, my knowledge of it is not extremely deep, so i do appreciate y'alls comments, as some of you, (*cough* *cough* Alexmilman *cough*) seem far more knowledgeable about this period of History. So, yeah, it took me a while to be confidant about the stuff i was writing about to be correct enough, to actually put down on paper and send it to the timeline. (Btw, if anyone has reading material of this era of Russian History, send the name of the book my way). So yeah, Anyways, Onto the Update....

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Chapter 5 - The Rumble of Industry

​

January 1900,

St. Petersburg, The Family had relocated to the Winter Palace for the winter months, and Nicholas had decided to brave the cold that night. As he stood out on the balcony, looking out over the city. Something about it angered him, it angered him greatly. The cause of this anger was cryptic, and the anger in of itself clouded Nicholas’ mind, preventing him from deciphering whatever it was that troubled him. It could just be the city, and its decadence as the Tsarina put it, or it could be Russia as a whole. Nicholas felt compelled to stay in the cold winter wind that night, if only to figure out what in god’s name was troubling him, but his wife was calling him to the bed, and Nicholas knew he needed to heed that call, it was late, cold, and whatever anger this was, was likely irrational. Caught between two desires, one to stay, and the other to leave, Nicholas fiddled with the glass in his hand, turning it in his hand, before letting it fall to the ground below, shattering, a cathartic release of anger, and with that, off he went to bed.

As Nicholas’ mind faded to darkness, dreams overtook whatever anger he had prior, but whatever reason for this anger, seemingly crept its way into these dreams. Dreams were strange creatures, Nicholas felt, he could never visualize what he saw in a dream, sometimes he could barely describe it, but he always could see what he saw when he was dreaming.

This time, Nicholas found himself in a room with a chalkboard in it, something was off however, and as Nicholas looked closer, he noticed numbers written all around the room. In chalk, ink, and even blood, it was the scribblings of a madman, carved into every inch of the room, numbers numbers and even more numbers. Nicholas lunged towards the door, finding himself in some fantastical factory, the door to the classroom was gone, as gears and pistons chugged along, blowing steam into the tsars face, at some rhythmic beat. Nicholas continued forward, as the beat got louder and louder, then there was a voice. Nicholas turned around to see a man who Nicholas would claim to be John D. Rockefeller, he had read about the American Tycoon before. The man said one thing and it was “The Roar of Industry, do you hear it, my boy.” Nicholas heard a roar behind him, only to turn and see a frigid, empty, St. Petersburg, Nicholas turned again, to see the factory, and Rockefeller was gone.

And then there was a rumble, from beneath the earth. Nicholas understood something in that moment, looking over the buildings, only to hear a howl, a great wind blew over the buildings, bringing snow with it. As Nicholas’ eyes squinted, bracing for the cold air, the wind ripped the buildings apart, and Nicholas descended into the madness that was typical for dreams.

He awoke the next day, got dressed, and was ready to face whatever hell the duties of being Tsar brought him. And that turned out to be Witte, coming to talk about his project in China, for the past few weeks, Witte had been discussing with the Tsar about his work on the enhancement of a warm-water port on the Liaodong Peninsula to be used for military purposes, called Port Arthur, and on the Development of Dalin as another warm-water commercial port. Witte rattled off numbers after numbers, until something inside the Tsar snapped. He couldn’t take this conversation anymore, the numbers faded until they came to a lull in the conversation, and then spoke up.

“Witte, What is the importance of these cities, why is it necessary to maintain an impressive pacific fleet, is it to project our power throughout Asia, i just don’t think its necessary, Port Arthur is lackluster in its usefulness and numerous in its faults, our Trade in the pacific isn’t hampered by our current level of ports there. It's just unnecessary”

“Your Imperial Majesty, I would beg to disagree, if you look at the num-”

“Witte, you are an economist, you see things as numbers, but as Tsar i must prioritize these things, Look out that Window Witte, and you’ll see St. Petersburg, I want you to go and look out that window and tell me if you see a city that could pass as a random European city”

Witte walked over to the window, obliging the Tsar, wondering what this tirade would be about going forward. “I do see a city that could pass as such”

“Yes Witte, You see a city that could pass as such, but not one that is such, Do you want to know what i see, I see a Russian city, with a thin veneer of European modernity, When i look out onto Russia, I see my nation, one that is govern by archaic rules that have remained since before the Industrial Age. Do you hear the roar of Industry in Russia, because i don’t, i hear a rumble, but that rumble doesn’t compare to the Americans, the British or the French, it just doesn’t, sure it gets louder everyday, and that's good, we’ve made good progress but it's not enough” The Tsar sat back down, not realizing he had stood up at some point during his monologue, sure he could point out problems in Russia, or problems with what his government was doing, but could he present alternatives was the bigger question. Both he and Witte sat in silence, thinking about what to say next, that was until the Tsar spoke up again.

“Witte, I want you to focus on the Railroads, increase their construction, and talk with some of the Military folks, Russia has delayed the development of a mobilization plan that involves railroads for far too long, include private railroads, get a line to Vladivostok completely within Russian Territory, and get a line to Murmansk, i want these railways cared for, The Americans proved during their war how vital railways are. And on top of that, I want those initial labor reforms we designed, and then diluted so we can gradually put them in place, well I want them put into place now.”

The Tsar got up from his seat and walked away to his Study, and sat down at his desk. He was unsure of how to move forward, and what he needed to do, and then he thought about it, about what he had just said to Witte, and his vague recollection of his dream the night before. Nicholas pondered for about half a moment, before praying, asking God for some advice, and of course, like most prayers, God wouldn’t answer, not directly at least. But Nicholas pulled out his notepad, and began to scribble in some plans, reforms he wished to see, among those were Land Reform, and Military Reform. Nicholas understood that the former should happen, he just didn’t know how to go further, beyond ordering the reparations the former serfs had to pay be decreased to half of what remained of their debts, which he did order. But the latter Nicholas could do something about the Latter.

Roughly a week later, Nicholas arrived at the Nicholas General Staff Academy, which was named after his namesake, Nicholas I. There he talked to several of the students, which wasn’t his purpose, but Nicholas felt a need to congratulate them on arriving and being a member of the Academy. His true purpose there was to further understand the state and focus of Russia’s Military, and its issues according to the Academics at the Academy. He was surprised to learn of the lack of War games at the Academy, and ordered their reinstatement. But there wasn’t much else he learned from the visit, Though a desire from him did grow to read translated works of other Foreign tacticians, if only to better understand the enemy’s thinking. The first of which he would seek being Clauswitz’s On War. However, the visit wasn’t entirely not useful. There he spoke with Alexander F. Rediger, a Professor at the Academy, Nicholas took an inexplicable liking to the Professor, who Nicholas would, as time went on, become friends with as Nicholas consulted with him in private over Military Matters.

Returning home that night, Nicholas once again found himself at the balcony, which only a week or so ago, started him on that week’s projects, once again, he carried a glass in his hand, and once again, he looked out to St. Petersburg, but this time he wasn’t angry. He was pulling Russia into the future, or trying to at least. It may have to kick and scream, but it’ll move into the future. Nicholas looked out, and saw not an archaic nation with a veneer of modernity draped over it, but a Nation that would soon become worthy of its Status. And with that thought Nicholas went back to his bed, and that night, his dreams were calm.

 

[Surge]

Hey, How would Y'all like an update. ​

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Chapter 6 - The Commission
St. Petersburg, 1900

Smoke drifted into the air, continuing and continuing without stopping, at least as long as Sandro kept smoking the cigarette. It was the middle of the day, and Sandro and Nicholas were leaning over a railing, this time, looking over a garden, as opposed to Nicholas’ habit of looking over St. Petersburg in the night.

“Nicky, You know how Bismarck died about two years ago”

“Yeah, what about him?”

“Apparently, he said something to the Kaiser along the lines of, ‘As long as you have your officer corps, you can do as you please, but once they’re gone, it’ll come crashing down. And if it continues as it is now, that crash will come 20 years after my departure.’ and well, that made me think, what would cause your officer corps to abandon you?”

“I don’t know, Sandro, but clearly you’re going somewhere with this”

“Well Nicky, the reason one’s military would abandon them, is if they lead the nation into a disastrous war. And if that man is right, and this is the man who united several tiny German states into a single empire, one of the most powerful in Europe, we’re talking about here so I think he is, then War is coming. And you need to prepare for it”

Sandro stood up straight, and dug his cigarette into an ashtray nearby. And Nicholas continued to smoke, was Sandro right? Was war coming to Europe, how large would it be, would the European Order survive it?. Nicholas didn’t know, but he did know that he needed to prepare.

(Nicholas Reading the Paper in his Study)

​

Nicholas' Study
Nicholas sat down in his chair, his study was a nice, warm room, cozy, pleasant. Those were all the thoughts that went into his head, he needed them, so he could calm himself. As he would discuss the nation's foreign policy, something that very well could maintain the balance of the European Order, or destroy it, the consequences of it would be very large.

Soon, Muravyov entered the room with a map tucked under each arm. And the discussion began. The Foreign Minister, Muravyov, had shifted Russia’s attention to the far east. But Nicholas looked to change things. He was fixated on setting a viable and safe standing for which Russia could engage in the world from, and the point of this conversation and sit down would be to develop plans to place Russia in a viable position to engage in a European war, and win it. It was at this time, while the Foreign Minister laid out the map of Europe on the table, that Witte entered the room, and joined the conversation.

The First thing on Nicholas’ mind was the Army, he was worried that it was outdated, backwater, and just, to put it plainly, a fish out of water in the changing world of warfare. However, Theory that was merely based on ideas, rather than the practicalities of the world, could only do so much, theory could be anything, that was it’s point, but reality was often disappointing compared to the Theoretical. But the practicalities of the world could be found, The British were engaging in a war down in southern Africa. After a series of discussion, a decision was made, A Commission was to be formed, of Military officials and academics, including the Professor Nicholas had met at the General Staff Academy. This Commission would be sent copies of reports made by Military Attachés who were to be sent down to the Boer War.

But the Army wasn’t the only issue, The Navy was as well. It wasn’t necessary to develop a Pacific navy anymore, as Nicholas had drawn down the plans to expand in the East. But, it would be necessary to be able to use the navy at all. If Russia went to war with Germany, it would need to engage in the Baltic and North Sea. If Russia went to war with Britain, it would need to engage in the English channel as well. And if it went to war with Italy or any Mediterranean nation, it would need to get through the damned Bosporus.

As it had turned out, Russia’s Geography had given a bad hand to the nation’s navy, and so a plan was devised, the Bosporus Straits had to be controlled by someone who would let the Russians through, and if God was willing, perhaps the opportunity would present itself to do this.

The Clearest option, geographically, would be Bulgaria, if it wouldn’t be in the hands of the ottomans. But politically, relations between the two were strained. Russia’s friendship with Serbia had led to less than friendly relations with the Bulgarians. But at the very least efforts could be made to restore that relationship.

At the moment, the theoretical goal was to place the Bulgarians in control of Constantinople and Thrace. This would give a friend of Russia, at least, in the scenario, control of the straits. And would also allow Russian Trade to continue through the Black Sea and through the Suez. These foundations, for the time being, would be decent enough for Nicholas to end the discussion, but he knew more discussions would follow, as reforming the Military would take time.

As everyone left, Muravyov sent orders down to his subordinates, ordering the deployment of Military Attaches out to the Boer war. But Nicholas sighed, sat down and leaned into his chair. Was he doing Russia right, he wouldn’t know, that was until Russia was tested. “May God Grant Russia Mercy” he thought, and his body relaxed and he sat there, waiting until he found himself ready to move on to the next thing he would have to do.



The House of Alexander F. Rediger
Alexander poured himself a cup of water, and sat down, grabbing the book next to him. However, as he read the words on the page, nothing stuck in his mind, for that was focused on the memory of the Tsar’s visit to the Academy. Alexander was a Professor at the Academy and the Tsar had sent a letter about a week prior, asking for advice on a military matter. This was the first time he had done so, since he asked if he could weeks prior during his Visit to the Academy.

To Alexander, The Military hadn’t quite caught up to the Modern world in its thinking, so perhaps his correspondence could help Russia as a whole, as a backwards military would be disastrous in war. But as he thought this, a knock came at his door.

A man stood outside, handing him a letter, and a paper. “Here are your Orders, and this is a letter explaining them.”, this was all very confusing, why was he being given orders, and why a separate letter to explain them.

“Sir, you must be mistaken, this isn’t the house you’re looking for, I'm not a soldier” Alexander said, as the man pulled a paper from his pocket. “Are you not Alexander Rediger?” Alexander was surprised of course, why would this man be looking for him, perhaps the answer could’ve been reached if he opened the letters, or his supposed ‘orders’. But the shock of it all clouded his mind.

“I'm only a professor, and as I've said, I'm not a soldier either, why have i been given orders.” Alexander said, but the man accepted this as acknowledging he was Alexander Rediger, which he was, and walked away, leaving Alexander to wonder. It would only take a moment, as Alexander shut the door and walked over to his desk. As he read over the orders, he finally got an understanding of the situation.

Alexander F. Rediger, it read, You have been invited to join as a member of a commission focused on possible reforms into Military Operations, one newly formed by the Tsar. The Letter explained that the Russian government had sent Military Attaché to the Boer war, and that the commission would receive reports gathered by the Military Attaches, and that Nicholas wanted his unofficial advisor to be a part of that Commission.

Alexander thought it over for a brief moment, before deciding to accept the invitation. His orders gave him directions as to where to go, so at least he knew that. As he took a sip of his water, his throat had become quite parched unbeknownst to him as he read all of those documents and thought it over, and went to work to prepare. He didn’t know what to expect to receive, but he knew he should prepare for the commission, as despite being a professor at the General Staff academy, his nerves weren’t calming him when he thought about joining a commission that consisted of fellow academics, and high-level military officers.