Remembering the Tsarist Era of Russia

The Russian Empire was one in which the Romanov monarchy reigned until 1917. It was essentially an autocratic monarchy topped by the Russian king, otherwise the tsar. The kings of Russia were not always heroes of the Russian people, but they still remained on the throne until a worldwide war shattered the monarchy.

Whilst the extravagant Winter Palace was located in St Petersburg, Russian tsars were crowned in Moscow. They were crowned kings of Russia at the Cathedral of the Dormition. There the Imperial Crown of Russia was bestowed to various tsars who reigned in the empire. They were a part of the small nobility in Russia, with much of Russia's land dominated by landlords who had large estates.

Some monarchs of the Russian empire, such as Nicholas and Alexander II, did introduce a degree of reform to Russia in the 19th and 20th centuries. Alexander 2nd abolished serfdom in Russia, which was expected to enhance Russian agricultural efficiency. Land was redistributed, with the huge landlord estates broken up, but too little was provided for the people. A large redemption tax was also established, which was not easily covered by the new farmers. Alexander also reformed the judiciary of the Russian Empire.

Such reforms were a step forward for the Russian Empire, but were not enough for many. The Russian monarchy did not permit any parliament for the various Russian parties, and constitutional reform was not something Alexander 3rd introduced. Nor did the next king of Russia, Nicholas II, openly embrace reform in the latter part of the 19th century.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the modernization of the Russian Empire and monarchy emerged largely thanks to the tsar's ministers and a shattering war with the Japanese Empire in 1905. The Russian economic minister, Witte, had already begun to establish heavy industry within the Russian Empire. The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, linking western Russia with Siberia, enhanced Russia's railway network. This ensured that industrial materials could be transported to cities such as Petrograd, where industries such as oil, steel, and metallurgy greatly expanded. Russia still lagged behind industrialized Europe, but a notable secondary (manufacturing) sector had been established.

In 1904, Russia declared war on the Japanese Empire, largely over access to ports such as Port Arthur. The Russian Empire was expected to win the war, but a series of defeats followed. The most crushing came at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905, where the Imperial Japanese Navy applied the coup de grace, wiping out 21 Russian warships and capturing several of their battleships after they waved the white flag. Soon after the defeat, the king opened peace talks with the Japanese, which were settled with the Treaty of Portsmouth, in which territory from the Russian Empire was ceded to the Japanese, as well as Port Arthur.

That defeat was a spark for the 1905 Revolution in Russia. The catalyst came when the tsar gave the orders for his guards to open fire on a peaceful protest in St Petersburg outside the Winter Palace. Estimates suggest that almost 100 were killed by the tsar's guards. It ensured widespread strikes across the empire in the cities. More were killed by the king's troops.

To preserve the monarchy, the tsar consented to a range of reforms. Among them was the Russian parliament, or Duma, the first semblance of a more democratic Russia. In addition to this, the October Manifesto was established, which would lay the foundations for the constitution of 1906.

That was enough to ensure that the monarchy was preserved until 1914. Whilst repression of terrorist groups continued, the Russian monarchy was more of a constitutional one in the final decade. The monarchy's reforms gained support from some parties within Russia, whilst others, such as the Bolsheviks, left the empire.

Like most tsars, Nicholas II was influential in Russian foreign policy. With the German Empire expanding, the king established an alliance with both Britain and France. This alliance was that of the Triple Entente, which remained intact up to 1914. Former treaties with the German Empire were abandoned as the Russians became allies of Western Europe.

The outbreak of war with the German Empire in 1914 ensured the monarchy's demise. Russian kings had a prominent role in the Russian military, and the tsar was commander-in-chief of the Russian army in 1914. Neither the king nor his military advisors established an effective military strategy during the war. Russia's outdated military could not defeat the German army, which made considerable advances in Eastern Europe.

By 1917, the Russian army had heavy losses, and grain shortages within Russia increased. Russian soldiers joined the protests in their calls for the abdication of the tsar. With the support of his army lost the tsar duly abdicated the throne, and the Russian monarchy was dissolved. Lenin and the Bolsheviks occupied the Winter Palace soon after.

Only for a short period had Russia under the tsars been a constitutional monarchy. Had the war in Europe not emerged, then the monarchy would likely have been preserved for a little longer, but more widespread reforms would probably have been required to keep the king on the throne. The policies of the tsars had generally slowed modernization in Russia, ensuring the collapse of the empire by 1918.