Russian Empire

"Let's make these Russian bastards pay" -Viktor Mikheal

The Russian Empire was the leading superpower at the beginning of the Precipice storyline, and was played by gorgenmast. Originally dominating the political sphere, it was on the forefront of geopolitics during the rise of the Turkish and Chinese superpowers that would dominate later on. With pressure from the expanding influences of Turkey and China, combined with the rise of rebellions in Siberia and Finland and the return of the Bolsheviks, Russia very quickly became a ticking time bomb. That time bomb was finally triggered when the survivors of the Vallankumous Finns, Viktor Laine and Juhani Mikheal, assassinated the Tsar. This lead to the dissolution of the Russian Empire and the start of the period of Russian disunity known as the Five Years' Chaos.

Before the Great War
The history of Russia begins with that of the Eastern Slavs and the Finno-Ugric peoples. The state of Garðaríki ( "the realm of towns"), which was centered in Novgorod and included the entire areas inhabited by Ilmen Slavs, Veps and Votes, was established by the Varangian chieftain Rurik in 862 (the traditional beginning of Russian history). Kievan Rus', the first united East Slavic state, was founded by Rurik's successor Oleg of Novgorod in 882. The state adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated as a state because of the Mongol invasion of Rus' in 1237–1240. During that time a number of regional magnates, in particular Novgorod and Pskov, fought to inherit the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus'. After the 13th century, Moscow came to dominate the former cultural center. By the 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had become the huge Russian Empire, stretching from the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth eastward to the Pacific Ocean. Expansion in the western direction sharpened Russia's awareness of its separation from much of the rest of Europe and shattered the isolation in which the initial stages of expansion had occurred. Successive regimes of the 19th century responded to such pressures with a combination of halfhearted reform and repression. Russian serfdom was abolished in 1861, but its abolition was achieved on terms unfavorable to the peasants and served to increase revolutionary pressures. Between the abolition of serfdom and the beginning of The Great War in 1914, the Stolypin reforms, the constitution of 1906 and State Duma introduced notable changes to the economy and politics of Russia, but the tsars were still not willing to relinquish autocratic rule, or share their power.

The Great War and the Bolsheviks
By negotiating for a quick peace with Germany during the Great War, Russia returned her large army home to utterly crush the Bolshevik Revolution. With Trotsky and many other Bolshevik leaders executed and Lenin assassinated in the 30's, Russia remains a powerful monarchy. After the failed revolution, Nicholas vowed to crush any vestiges of the socialists or any other form of internal dissent. His iron fist earned him no love from the already disillusioned peasantry, causing rebelliousness to bubble under the surface despite the Tsar's crackdown, especially among repressed minorities such as the Finns.

The Early Years of Tsar Peter IV
When Nicholas died in 1965, Peter IV ascended the throne and quickly became discontented with his empire. Unlike Nicholas, who wanted to maintain his control, Peter sought to extend it. He wanted to expand Russia's borders and create vast overseas colonies like the other European nations had. To Peter and his military advisers, it became clear that Russia would have to resume its perennial struggle for a warm water port.

Dissent and Brutality
Finnish opposition to the Russian rule began to plague Russia in the form of the Vallankumous movement, which lead a campaign of violence against public officials. The Tsars response would be one of brutality, interested in ending the rebellion via aggressive measures. Troops were dispatched to Finland to put out the rebellion. The Russians struck first in the Finnish village of Vuotso, where they found rebels and purged the entire village as a result. In an attempt to end the conflict quickly, an assassin was sent in to kill Viktor Laine. Though he managed to survive and kill the spy, the Vallankumous Finns took heavy casualties. The short campaign had been assumed a success by the Russians, though in reality two survivors still stood, and unbeknownst to Russia, these two were all that would be neccessary for apt revenge.

Meanwhile, even as their old territories looked to claim independence, Russia looked to expand. With the warm water ports of Crimea in mind, Russia demanded that the Ukraine hand over the Crimean peninsula; a request that was ultimately refused. The Russians responded by quickly invading and occupied the Ukraine. The invasion was bloody and swift, with Kiev quickly falling after a suprise aerial assault while armored divisions rolled over the border. This new territory afforded Russia control over valuable Black Sea Ports. The new territory caused a boom in the Russian economy, but it also soured foreign relations.

The expansion of the Ottoman Empire to the south lead to tensions between the two nations. Artillery was place in the Caucus mountains as a line of defense (or offense) should a war between the two nations arise.

Communists and Revolutionaries
Mongolian/Russian rebels stirred in the eastern reaches of Siberia. Nikolov Nitsk, a communist revolutionary, aquired aid from the communist stronghold of China. Striking fast at the backwater of Siberia, Nikolovs communist band did signifigant damage to the embattled tsar.

To make things worse, the Tsars pregnant daughter was assassinated shortly after in a state visit to Finland. This was considered a major blow to the Royal family. Despite hte security efforts, the assassins managed to escape the grasp of the police.

A Floridian man was caught armed in western Russia shortly after the assassination of the Tsars daughter, but he was quickly rescued. The Russians learned he hailed from Florida, nor did they know that they were there to help the assassins; Viktor Laine and Juhani Mikheal of the Vallankumous movement.

Where the assassination had taken place a few weeks before, the town was in full chaos; a taste of what was to come.

Meanwhile, in Smolensk, yet more Communists were letting themselves be known. The Neo-Bolsheviks of Smolensk, a group that would evolve into post-collapse Novgorod, started to increase their anti-tsar activities under the leadership of Ilya Zhdavov and Father Radek. During an attack on the local magistrate, Zhdavov was killed and Radek found himself inheriting the movement. This had all happened several years ago; it was an event that had landed Radek in jail, but he managed to cause a prison revolt as Russia was starting to loose control. Radek took control of rebels gaining success in the South Urals, where Vyatka had fallen. The Neo-Bolsheviks had gained ground in Novgorod, Volgograd, and Ekaterinburg, causing the Tsar to send the Imperial Army in. This rebellion particularly seen successes in the Ukraine.

Tragedy and Chaos
It was then that disaster struck. The Vallankumous Finns, or the remaining two of them at least, managed to successfully assassinate the Tsar. It was the beginning of the end of the Russian Empire. Tsarist forces recoiled to defend key points from the inevitable insanity. From this point, Russia ceased being a unified nation and the end of the Russian Empire is assumed. Remnants of the Empire became city states no different from the rebel movements that neighbored them, as Communists fought Boyars (the remnants of the empire) in a struggle for power that eventually resulted in the present state of affairs, including the formation of the Russian Republic and the new movement known as the Russian Resurrection.