What happens if Alexander III of Russia doesn't die of nephritis in 1894?
Wow!
This is incredible.
I was just wondering the same thing.
My question was going to be slightly different.
The three what-if's were:
1 - What if Alexander II lives longer and actually introduces the Duma. If he lived long enough for Alexander III to see that a constitutional monarchy isn't really all that bad - it may have made a huge impact.
2 - What if Alexander III lives long enough to give Nicolas II a decent education. I don't think Alexander III was never planning on Nicolas getting a 'governing the country' education he just expected to live longer (I mean, why wouldn't you? - he died at 49 years of age!!!). In 20:20 hindsight it was a huge mistake, so maybe he wouldn't have given his son an education anyway!
Maybe Russia doesn't go to war with Japan in 1904. After all Alexander III was called "the peacemaker of Russia".
I don't think this was for any real diplomatic skill. It just happened that there was a long period of peace. He didn't pick any fights, sure, but he didn't have to negotiate any complex issues that could have lead to another Crimea or what-not.
This in turn leads to more stability in the country and smoother transition to a constitutional (not necessarily democratic) system.
Not if Alexander III had anything to do with it (short of my ATL above). He was dead against the Duma. One of his first acts as the new Tsar was to destroy the plans his father had drawn up.
3 - (this is my big one, which I hope to go somewhere with - still reading up) What if George Alexandrovich had
lived??? He was popular. He was attractive. He was intelligent. He was (in essence) everything a King/Tsar/Emperor should be! He also seemed to have vast influence over his brother (even in death). Could his living have saved Russia from the fall of the monarchy and the rise of communism? If it did, how vast would the ramifications be? What happens in WWI/WWII?
Interested in following this for comments. I don't want to derail this thread too much so will post this as an alterative thread. If you wish to comment on my points 1 and 3 please go
here. Feel free to respond to point 2 here.
Thanks Will for this thread - very interested. Very subscribed