What if the Russian Empire gains access to the Persian Gulf?


What would be the purpose? Unlike Britain, Russia was not too much into the overseas colonial empires and access to the Persian Gulf would be rather meaningless for its expansionist policies.
 
Access to a warm water port, expansion... etc. It is foolish to do it but there are some reasons.

If we are talking late XVIII - late XIX, Russian navy was already split between the Baltic and Black (warm water) Seas. Warm water port in the middle of nowhere (from Russian perspective) would not give any noticeable advantages because Russian navy did not have any reason for operating in the Indian Ocean. Plus, it would create immense logistical problems related to the supply of that port (both if Russia conquers a corridor from Caucasus to the PG and in the case of it getting just a port) and its defense in the case of war. The same goes for a naval merchant trade: not enough of it (especially in the PG area) to justify the effort.

Conquest of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan also was of a questionable wisdom (in the terms of expense/profit): Azerbaijan and Northern Caucasus oil was not a factor until the late XIX, well after the huge effort had been spent on getting these areas.
 
If we are talking late XVIII - late XIX, Russian navy was already split between the Baltic and Black (warm water) Seas. Warm water port in the middle of nowhere (from Russian perspective) would not give any noticeable advantages because Russian navy did not have any reason for operating in the Indian Ocean. Plus, it would create immense logistical problems related to the supply of that port (both if Russia conquers a corridor from Caucasus to the PG and in the case of it getting just a port) and its defense in the case of war. The same goes for a naval merchant trade: not enough of it (especially in the PG area) to justify the effort.

Conquest of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan also was of a questionable wisdom (in the terms of expense/profit): Azerbaijan and Northern Caucasus oil was not a factor until the late XIX, well after the huge effort had been spent on getting these areas.

The same reason Russia wanted to keep Port Arthur. I don't sea a Russian port as an ideal option but then again, neither would be a port in the Far East.
 
i'd think that the best way to extend Russia to the Persian Gulf, at least for contiguous territory, would be expand southward from Russian Transcaucasia, maybe with a strip of land just big enough to build rail lines from thereabouts to Mesopotamia, and then take that whole region down to Kuwait, a little bit like the Berlin-Baghdad Railroad
 
The same reason Russia wanted to keep Port Arthur. I don't sea a Russian port as an ideal option but then again, neither would be a port in the Far East.

Port Arthur belongs to a different period which is only marginally within "prior to 1900" (Russia got lease on it in 1897 or 1898) and, while also being an example of a major foolishness, there was certain sense in this specific madness:

1st, Russia was quite economically and militarily "active" in the adjacent area (built railroads across China and started economic expansion in the area).

2nd, Port Arthur was not as widely separated from other Russian ports (on the Pacific) as a port in the PG would be.
 
i'd think that the best way to extend Russia to the Persian Gulf, at least for contiguous territory, would be expand southward from Russian Transcaucasia, maybe with a strip of land just big enough to build rail lines from thereabouts to Mesopotamia, and then take that whole region down to Kuwait, a little bit like the Berlin-Baghdad Railroad

And the purpose of that exercise would be what exactly? What would be Russia selling (and to whom) via that port? The Germans had been planning to compete with the British trade in Mesopotamia but even by the late XIX Russian empire was not British economic competitor. When the oil came into the picture, the finished B-B Railroad (if remained under German control) would give German industry access to oil but at that time Russia already had more oil that it needed for internal consumption and much more conveniently located. Not to mention that construction would immediately result in a conflict with the Brits.
 
And the purpose of that exercise would be what exactly? What would be Russia selling (and to whom) via that port? The Germans had been planning to compete with the British trade in Mesopotamia but even by the late XIX Russian empire was not British economic competitor. When the oil came into the picture, the finished B-B Railroad (if remained under German control) would give German industry access to oil but at that time Russia already had more oil that it needed for internal consumption and much more conveniently located. Not to mention that construction would immediately result in a conflict with the Brits.
i was using the Berlin-Baghdad Railroad for context, not suggesting that it would be built in this hypothetical scenario. the point here is to discuss, essentially, how Russia can get to the Persian Gulf and have access to it.
 
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