For starters, lets say
Survives, and lives about 100 years retaining his faculties to the very end. He did have at least one relative that survived that long while imprisoned. Anyways, past this point its 100% pure fiat. As he grows older, and comes of age, he changes his opinion on serfs, and also has a harsh opinion of his German relatives. As in, he de-Germs the Romanov family and much of , up to and including delegitimization by ax. and reverses some of the social reform his grandfather did while keeping a keen interest in technology. As a deal, he allows the nobles to engage in merchanting and other things, in exchange for setting up schools for serfs, really just getting the church in on making the populace literate and numerate and more options for freedom.
The reason he wants this, he explains, is that everything he has to purchase outside the country enriches somebody he can't tax and won't serve in his military. And if they make stuff here, it means nobles or whatever get the money instead of sending it elsewhere. And some excellent points are made about cheaper military equipment of the same quality.
This forms an odd, warped way of developing craftsmen and artisans and then later an industrialization workforce, with freemen and women subject to wage slavery and early company towns and serfdom warping into a steampunk cyberpunk contract but it serves the purpose. Peter II dies at the age a hundred and whatever, having only seen a few substantial changes, but the ideas stick. At the time of his death, literacy and numeracy are up to a "staggering" 40% across the board.
By 1800, the Russian empire has some nascent industrial output, being behind Belgium.
By 1820, having did what two Americans did and thieve the tar out of every bit intellectual property they could, Russia has some serious face output across the board. They also have established and expanded colleges and universities. Literacy and numeracy of basic arithmetic have hit 75%.
By 1835, its among the top industrial powers in Europe in total finished goods production, among the top 5, though per capita is lower, and isn't making as much from export directly. At this point, its just benefitting from increased agricultural output and many nobles and freemen are making money off of this. Thats not to say they aren't exporting finished goods, its just most of that production is internally consumed and is otherwise noncompetitive thanks to tariffs. And it is constructing railways at pace with Britain.
By 1850, Russia is a serious face industrial power, having exceeded total British rail length in (throws a dart) 1848, and only has a handful of finished products it actually needs to import, none of which are strategically necessary. It has also managed to avoid some of the rot of Nicholas the 1st, with narry a Prussian Marching fanboy in sight of the throne.
And seeing this, regarding the early population boom and other issues, the British and French decide to intervene in the Crimean War as otl. Similar goals, except against a stronger, much wealthier Russian empire.
How does this play out? What is the likelyhood of the Czar getting Constantinople by 1900? Or smashing the Ottomans clean to pieces by then? What about an increase in nations involving themselves in the Crimean war?
Generally, what do you think of the geopolitical and geostrategic consequences of Russia entering the Crimean War as a modern and advanced industrial power? And beyond that?
Peter II of Russia - Wikipedia
en.m.wikipedia.org
Survives, and lives about 100 years retaining his faculties to the very end. He did have at least one relative that survived that long while imprisoned. Anyways, past this point its 100% pure fiat. As he grows older, and comes of age, he changes his opinion on serfs, and also has a harsh opinion of his German relatives. As in, he de-Germs the Romanov family and much of , up to and including delegitimization by ax. and reverses some of the social reform his grandfather did while keeping a keen interest in technology. As a deal, he allows the nobles to engage in merchanting and other things, in exchange for setting up schools for serfs, really just getting the church in on making the populace literate and numerate and more options for freedom.
The reason he wants this, he explains, is that everything he has to purchase outside the country enriches somebody he can't tax and won't serve in his military. And if they make stuff here, it means nobles or whatever get the money instead of sending it elsewhere. And some excellent points are made about cheaper military equipment of the same quality.
This forms an odd, warped way of developing craftsmen and artisans and then later an industrialization workforce, with freemen and women subject to wage slavery and early company towns and serfdom warping into a steampunk cyberpunk contract but it serves the purpose. Peter II dies at the age a hundred and whatever, having only seen a few substantial changes, but the ideas stick. At the time of his death, literacy and numeracy are up to a "staggering" 40% across the board.
By 1800, the Russian empire has some nascent industrial output, being behind Belgium.
By 1820, having did what two Americans did and thieve the tar out of every bit intellectual property they could, Russia has some serious face output across the board. They also have established and expanded colleges and universities. Literacy and numeracy of basic arithmetic have hit 75%.
By 1835, its among the top industrial powers in Europe in total finished goods production, among the top 5, though per capita is lower, and isn't making as much from export directly. At this point, its just benefitting from increased agricultural output and many nobles and freemen are making money off of this. Thats not to say they aren't exporting finished goods, its just most of that production is internally consumed and is otherwise noncompetitive thanks to tariffs. And it is constructing railways at pace with Britain.
By 1850, Russia is a serious face industrial power, having exceeded total British rail length in (throws a dart) 1848, and only has a handful of finished products it actually needs to import, none of which are strategically necessary. It has also managed to avoid some of the rot of Nicholas the 1st, with narry a Prussian Marching fanboy in sight of the throne.
And seeing this, regarding the early population boom and other issues, the British and French decide to intervene in the Crimean War as otl. Similar goals, except against a stronger, much wealthier Russian empire.
How does this play out? What is the likelyhood of the Czar getting Constantinople by 1900? Or smashing the Ottomans clean to pieces by then? What about an increase in nations involving themselves in the Crimean war?
Generally, what do you think of the geopolitical and geostrategic consequences of Russia entering the Crimean War as a modern and advanced industrial power? And beyond that?