Tear this shit apart.
Nation Name:
Russian Empire
Location:
History:
The Russian Empire entered the Great War with great enthusiasm, but left battered and without much to show for the countless Russian casualties along the eastern front and the Caucasus. With the defense of Orthodox Christianity as its rallying cry, the Empire was successful in its initial assaults against the German and Austrian armies, but by 1915 the imperial forces had suffered tremendously and momentum had begun to grind to a halt as troop morale plummeted. At home, the cost of the war drove the citizenry closer to the edge and opposition to the war, and the imperial government as a whole, began to rise. By late 1916, the Russian Army had begun its unprecedented withdrawal amid fears of a Bolshevik revolution.
Though Russia never truly surrendered, its withdrawal allowed Germany to press onward and take territories along the Baltic and in Poland. The Russian Army entrenched itself along the western boundaries of the Empire and entered what was essentially a ceasefire while the troubles at home were resolved. For the next several years, Russian, German and Austrian soldiers stared each other down the barrel of their rifles. With a significant portion of the Tsar's army dedicated to crushing the socialist and republican rebellions, it was clear that Russia would not be able to muster forces for another assault against Germany, and by the end of 1917, the Germans had shifted their attention westward. All was quiet on the eastern front.
In Petrograd, the Bolshevik revolution had failed to seize control of the imperial stronghold. With the bulk of the imperial forces under his command, Nicholas II was successful in combating and ultimately crushing the socialists there before leading his armies eastward and to the south, where elements of the imperial army found themselves trapped between the Red tide and the Caucasus mountains. The Great War had shaken people's faith in their Emperor, but leading his forces from the front - just as he had done against the Germans - , led to a change in public perception. The Tsar had begun to unintentionally heal his broken prestige through his famously hands-on style of rule, and the Imperial government was quick to lead the efforts in portraying the Emperor as the god-ordained savior of Russia.
When Nicholas II and his army arrived at the foot of the Caucasus mountains, the Bolshevik forces laying siege to the battered Russian defenders there were crushed and dispersed. This victory cemented the Tsar's place in the hearts and minds of those who had yet to choose a side. The masses, which had not long before that blamed the Emperor for the failures of the Great War, began to place the blame on the socialists instead. Public perception shifted to the belief that, had it not been for the socialist revolution, Russia would have been victorious in their fight against the Central Powers. The last of the socialists hold-outs were defeated by 1920, and and by 1921 Nicholas II had secured his place as the absolute monarch of Russia.
In 1921, the heir to the Russian throne, Alexei, succumbed to his life-long hemophilia. The title of Tsesarevich fell to the Tsar's infant son Alexandre.
The years that followed were marked by the relentless persecution of socialists throughout the Empire. For years, people believed to have been involved in the revolution were imprisoned, executed or exiled. Socialist sentiments were viciously suppressed, and political opponents of the Tsar fell under the constant watch of imperial authorities, who itched for the opportunity to act against them. In the midst of all this, Nicholas II began the process of placing full control of the Empire firmly in the hands of the Emperor once again. Elements of the 1905 October Manifesto eroded over the years, and Russia shifted back towards an absolute monarchy.
By 1935, Nicholas II had managed to pull Russia from the brink, but at the cost of civil liberties in what had become an almost completely autocratic Empire, kept together by a liberal use of force against any dissent. Finland found itself on the receiving end of some of the worst abuses after its attempt at independence in 1918, which sparked a war that lasted several years and almost ended in a Russian defeat. In 1936, the Tsar, eager to reclaim lost territories, entered into an alliance with the German Empire, which resulted in the dual-invasion and partition of the Baltic states after several years of independence from Germany.
Nicholas II's reign finally came to an end in 1946 when he died of natural causes and his son, Alexandre, ascended to the throne at the age of thirty-six. The new Tsar followed the example set by his father. Aided by an imperial court that had for years served Nicholas II loyally - and almost fanatically -, the young Emperor was encouraged to rule with a heavy hand. Years of harsh rule had left many hoping for a gentler leader, but instead they got more of the same.
When attempts were made by the opposition to organize and rumors of a looming communist uprising began to circulate, Alexandre IV immediately authorized the arrests of countless possible conspirators. In truth, there was no communist uprising planned and the morale of would-be revolutionaries had been destroyed after decades of relentless persecution by the previous monarch. No one was planning to rebel, that was, until the Tsar's forces inevitably crossed the line, opening fire on peaceful protesters in St. Petersburg. This massacre gave the revolutionaries the just cause they needed to mobilize and raise arms against a young and inexperienced Tsar. Soon violent protests were breaking out all over the Empire.
Alexandre IV responded the way his father had before: with overwhelming force. The rioters were quickly rounded up and arrested, and inevitably blood was spilled and martyrs were made. In less than a year, Alexandre had made enemies of a battered and exhausted populace longing for something different: the Tsar had fallen for the trap. Guided by his advisors, Alexandre pressed on against the invisible, and sometimes nonexistent threat of socialist saboteurs. The Tsar had countless people arrested, and some executed. He did as his father had before, but not as efficiently, and every mistake he made was exploited by his enemies.
When ethnic minorities in the Caucasus attempted a rebellion in late 1947, Alexandre responded with absolute brutality. When the same was attempted in the east, he marched there and did the same. Determined to keep the Empire from falling apart, the Emperor spent the latter part of his reign ruthlessly crushing rebellions in the far corners of the realm. Unbeknownst to him, these rebellions were instigated and sometimes organized by communists, and were not meant to succeed. Instead, they were meant to put the Tsar's brutality in full display, for the world to see. In 1951, it was Finland the Tsar brutalized. A year later, the Tsar was dead, along with his spouse, his heir, and his youngest daughter. The suspects were two Finnish farmers.
The result was chaos. In the immediate aftermath of the Tsar's death, it was believed he had been killed alongside his entire family. Almost immediately after that, the country began its rapid fall into anarchy. The leaderless imperial forces mobilized to keep the peace, but found themselves spread thin and under constant attack. It was not long before new states began to take form and the Imperial forces in the west were cut off from the rest. Eventually, the loyalists retreated to St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas, where they formed a defensive line and consolidated their power in the capital. For a period of three weeks, the Imperial government in Russia was effectively a military government, headed by the generals, with its territories under martial law. A day into the third week, the Imperial Army brought forward Russia's new Tsar.
Of the four children, two had survived. One of them was the oldest daughter, Catherine. The other was the youngest son, Alexandre. Both of them had suffered injuries in the attack that killed their father, and had been presumed dead by many outside of the Imperial Army's top brass. Having suffered serious injuries, neither was in shape to appear publicly, and for a time their survival was not guaranteed. As such, the sudden appearance of a royal heir sparked rumors of foul play by the generals, who had a lot to gain, and keep, from ensuring the survival of the Imperial government. The surviving son was crowned Alexandre V and presented to the world as the new Tsar of Russia, though he had not yet recovered.
In recent years, what is left of the Russian Empire has fought tirelessly to reclaim its territories and hold the line. The new Tsar, Alexandre V, is a nineteen-year-old with a kind heart and an ambitious mind. Though he shares the name of the previous Tsar, it is already clear that he does not share the same temperament, or capability for such cruelty. what the heck does the future holds i dnnno
