What are the butterflies of an industrialized and educated Russian empire?

So, let's say that during the 19th century, Russia has reformist tsars that seek to modernize Russia and dispel the perception of it being backwards. They focus on industrializing the Empire, making the populace educated through increased literacy, etc. The Empire possibly becomes more Democratic due to the intelligent populace demanding it, but the tsar still has great power. So, with all this how does history go by. Do the world wars still go on? If they do how does it go? Does a stronger Russia be more assertive in the great game? etc.
 
All depends about exact POD.

World wars such as we these know butterfly away. There is still probably some Great War but it is totally different as OTL. But it is impossible to say what would be alliance system, when and how war would go and what after that would happen.
 
They did all of this. The Russian government was always invested in education, iondustrialisation and modernisation. Even assuming the efforts are more focused and more sustained, without being interrupted by changes in focus and battles with entrenched interests, I am not sure Russia could realistically do very much better than it did IOTL. There is huge inertia to go against. Even the utterly radical efforts by the Communist Party to remake the country (imposing changes far deeper and crueller than Czarist autocracy ever could) only got so far.

Depending on how well it works, the next question is, of course, what Russia gets for its efforts. There is going to be some political impact, naturally. Adding more educated people means more political activism. It might work for the best, though, since an earlier integratiopn of the urban educated classes might well mean they have less reason to embrace Marx. There would still be a strong Socialist movement, but perhaps no Bolsheviks.

In foreign policy, more industrialisation would mean more stamina in war, more 'legs' for the army. However, I'm not sure it would make a practical difference until 1905. If the Russian military also becomes more professional, it might actually defuse tensions in Central Asia as the generals realise earlier and admit more readily they haven't got a prayer at conquering india.
 
All depends about exact POD.

World wars such as we these know butterfly away. There is still probably some Great War but it is totally different as OTL. But it is impossible to say what would be alliance system, when and how war would go and what after that would happen.
How about after the Crimean war, in 1856.
 
They did all of this. The Russian government was always invested in education, iondustrialisation and modernisation. Even assuming the efforts are more focused and more sustained, without being interrupted by changes in focus and battles with entrenched interests, I am not sure Russia could realistically do very much better than it did IOTL. There is huge inertia to go against. Even the utterly radical efforts by the Communist Party to remake the country (imposing changes far deeper and crueller than Czarist autocracy ever could) only got so far.
And far wasn't to bad considering it became a superpower.
 
And far wasn't to bad considering it became a superpower.

I don't think there is any way short of dismembering the country that Russia can avoid becoming a major power in the twentieth century given its population and resource base. I'm just not convinced it can be speeded up very much.
 
They did all of this. The Russian government was always invested in education, iondustrialisation and modernisation. Even assuming the efforts are more focused and more sustained, without being interrupted by changes in focus and battles with entrenched interests, I am not sure Russia could realistically do very much better than it did IOTL. There is huge inertia to go against. Even the utterly radical efforts by the Communist Party to remake the country (imposing changes far deeper and crueller than Czarist autocracy ever could) only got so far.

No. Russia wasn't real democracy by revolutions of 1917. Czar had still all power and Duma was only rubber stamps. And peasants were still very uneducated. Cities were indrustrialised but countryside was mostly very backward.

How about after the Crimean war, in 1856.

It is possible. Just let Alexander II's oldest son Nicholas, who supported constitutional monarchy, live much longer and Alexander II should live longer and die on 1890's from natural causes.

This probably would help to create Russo-German alliance.
 
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