Seriously has Russia always just been a resource provider and little else? I mean pre-WW1 they were Germany's supply of cheap coal, wood, food, and various other resources, in the interwar period they did roughly the same, and post-1950s they were pretty much back into propping up their budget with oil exports (and weapons).
In the 19th Century Russian industry put the Iranian artisan class out of business for the most part. The entire country was reduced to the status of plantation and rug-making factory (and even then, Russian Azerbaijan was such a major manufacturer of carpets that the Iranian industry was hamstrung by the competition).
fasquardon