Tsar Nicky II moves the Russian capital at the start of his reign

Let's say that Russian Tsar Nicholas II decides that Petrograd (St. Petersburg) is too far to the west to be the capital of the great Eurasian Russian Empire. Thus, he decides to move his capital to a more central location.

What would be some good candidates for Russia to move its capital to in the 1890s?
 
Let's say that Russian Tsar Nicholas II decides that Moscow is too far to the west to be the capital of the great Eurasian Russian Empire. Thus, he decides to move his capital to a more central location.

What would be some good candidates for Russia to move its capital to in the 1890s?
Capital was in St Petersburg back in those days,not Moscow.
 
He couldn’t really move it to the literal center of the empire given a lot of that’s just wasteland,so it’s probably Moscow.
 
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Almost definitely Moscow. If there's some change with regard to the Eastern situation he maybe sets up a secondary capital at Kazan.
 
He couldn’t really move it to the literal center of the empire given a lot of that’s just wasteland,so it’s probably Moscow.
A lot of Russians settled in Siberia and Kazakhstan, though.

Why not build a large city in the wasteland like Nursultan Nazarbayev did for Kazakhstan when he wanted a new capital?
 
Moscow is still too far to the west for a great Eurasian empire, though.
The eastern parts of the empire were unimportant compared to the western parts.Besides that,with telegrams and railroads,the strategic location of the empire mattered less compared to whether you can populate and supply a lot of people living there conveniently.
 
The eastern parts of the empire were unimportant compared to the western parts.

Yes, but didn't tens of millions of people still live there?

Besides that,with telegrams and railroads,the strategic location of the empire mattered less compared to whether you can populate and supply a lot of people living there conveniently.

Did elites in Asiatic Russia and Central Asia live less comfortably than elites in European Russia did?

Also, what was Russia's center of population back then? FTR, I mean this (though this article is for the U.S. rather than for Russia):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_the_United_States_population
 
Yes, but didn't tens of millions of people still live there?
Less compared to European Russia.


Did elites in Asiatic Russia and Central Asia live less comfortably than elites in European Russia did?

Also, what was Russia's center of population back then? FTR, I mean this (though this article is for the U.S. rather than for Russia):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mean_center_of_the_United_States_population
Yes,it was backwards compared to Western Russia.Besides,Russia wants to be seen as a Western nation,having a capital in the east does not help with this.
 
Less compared to European Russia.

Just how much less, though?

Also, what about moving the Russian capital in the 20th century when the Asiatic parts of Russia will be much more populous?

Yes,it was backwards compared to Western Russia.Besides,Russia wants to be seen as a Western nation,having a capital in the east does not help with this.

What about a compromise--have Russia's capital be on the Volga?
 
Just how much less, though?

Also, what about moving the Russian capital in the 20th century when the Asiatic parts of Russia will be much more populous?



What about a compromise--have Russia's capital be on the Volga?

Too late for that. Moscow would be the only choice by a combination of the historic, cultural, geographic and economic reasons. However, there would be a need to provide accommodations for a massive bureaucracy which lived and functioned in St-Petersburg.
 
Too late for that. Moscow would be the only choice by a combination of the historic, cultural, geographic and economic reasons. However, there would be a need to provide accommodations for a massive bureaucracy which lived and functioned in St-Petersburg.
When did the window for having Russia's capital be on the Volga close?
 
What about splitting up the capital? Keep the bueracracy in St Petersburg and have the Tsar (and maybe some other bigwigs) live in Moscow. Or maybe there's a big Ukrainian nationalist movement and the Tsar makes Kiev an honorary capital to try and promote a pan Slavic identity.
 
What about splitting up the capital? Keep the bueracracy in St Petersburg and have the Tsar (and maybe some other bigwigs) live in Moscow. Or maybe there's a big Ukrainian nationalist movement and the Tsar makes Kiev an honorary capital to try and promote a pan Slavic identity.
A split capital is possible, but countries rarely do it. I think that Bolivia is one of the few (if not the only) exceptions in regards to this.

A Russia capital at Kiev would certainly be interesting. :)
 
What about splitting up the capital? Keep the bueracracy in St Petersburg and have the Tsar (and maybe some other bigwigs) live in Moscow. Or maybe there's a big Ukrainian nationalist movement and the Tsar makes Kiev an honorary capital to try and promote a pan Slavic identity.

If we're splitting the capital in an effort to have a more Eastern capital city without losing Moscow or Peterburg, I'd think Kazan would make more sense than Kiev. It's much better positioned to deal with Eastern issues in particular.
 
A split capital is possible, but countries rarely do it. I think that Bolivia is one of the few (if not the only) exceptions in regards to this.

A Russia capital at Kiev would certainly be interesting. :)
There are a lot of countries with multiple capitals Netherlands and South Africa come to mind.
 
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