Reformed Russia

Introduction
This Scenario Focuses on a Russia that Westernises Early with the Libera Military Decembrist Revolt of 26th December 1825 never occurring. This means that Tsar Nicholas I is not put off the Westernisation begun by Peter the Great and instead of enshrining the Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality[//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodoxy,_Autocracy,_and_Nationality] doctrine he continues the path of Westernization.

The Failed Decembrist Revolt turned Tsar Nicholas into one of Russia's most reactionary and disastrous monarchs. He had an aggressive foreign policy that sucked the empire's finances dry, having started the Russo-Persian War, The Russo-Turkish War,  and the disastrous Crimean War. His terrible war performance is historically put down to his lack of trust in his generals and subsequent personal micro-management of his armies.

This seems to be the result of a failed uprising against him by military generals on his Coronation that lead to his mistrust of his generals and staunch conservative reactionism. In this Timeline an alternative scenario will be explored where without these experiences he is a competent and moderate ruler that pushes through reforms and keeps Russia up to the standards of the rest of the world in Industrial terms and keeps the Russian Military and Industry efficient.

Crimean War
With Russia's booming trade Austria and Russia form closer bonds, both become increasingly close. Austria and Russia became allies when they signed the Pact of Brotherhood in 1849 in fear of a increasingly influential Prussia and the heavily industrialising UK and France. During the Crimean war Austria comes to Russia's aid and along with military compentancy on the Russian Side the Crimean war (though initially looking like a France/UK/Sardinia victory) managed to drag the war on longer than in our timeline, still to heavy losses on the Austria/Russia side.

The war is dragged on until 1857, where the UK pulled out to put down mutiny in India. This leaves the Austrians and Russians greatly outpowering the French and Ottoman opposition which ended in March 1858 with the Victory on the Russian Side.

Acting swiftly, Russia presssed on into the Caucus territories of the Ottoman Empire. The French came to their aid but due to low performance were of very little help. By December 1858 the Russian/Austrian Alliance was greeted by the surender of the Ottoman Empire as the Invading forces pressed deep into Anatolia from the Balkans. Austria and Russia carved up the Balkans in the Partition of Balkan Ottoman Land. Russia also annexed a few small Ottoman territories in the Caucus Mountains. The Ottoman empire face various rebellions after this and entered a steep decline.

Fall of the Ottoman Empire
By 1866 the Ottoman Empire was in the verge of collapse, with growing nationalism in the fringes of the empire. The Russian backed the 1866 Armenian War of Independence that spawned from the Armenian National Movement (1860-1866) saw Russia march yet again into the Ottoman Empire, to secure an Armenian Victory in an attempt to establish Armenia as a sattelite state. Although the Russian army only ever mobilized 20,000 troops in Armenia, their funding of ordinary rebels and the brute force used to occupy the land was enough to keep the Ottomans out.

The war dragged out for 4 years until The Ottoman Economy had plumeted so bad with concentration on liberating their occupied Armenian Province. Eventually they gave up in effort to save their dying economy, ceding Armenia. In 1875 the Ottoman Empire was so badly in debt that it had to sell off Eygpt to the United Kingdom. With this Hejaz was Partitioned in two and sold off to France and Russia, with Russia taking lower Hejaz. The Ottoman Empire was practically annihilated and existed merely in name, having lost all their north african territory and all but Istanbul in Europe. British Egypt also incorporated modern day Libyan provinces of the Ottoman Empire.

Austro-Prussian War
After the Austro Russian War was started in 1866 Russia Honoured the Pact of Brotherhood and invaded Prussia, from the East. While in OTL one of Austria's main problems was traversing the terrain into Prussia, Russia did not face this problem. They also forced Prussia to fight on two fronts, splitting their army. Russian ships blockaded ports along the Prussian Heartland. A Unified Germany was viewed as an extreme threat by the Russian Monarchy, fearing it challanged growing Russian economic dominance and their large, highly skilled army.

Austria had a harder time defending Valencia from the Italians as it focused mainly on Prussia to the North. Russian Ships from Sevastapol and Austrian ships from the nearby Posts from the Austrian Balkans lead to an effective blockade all across Italy. Only when Prussia was defeated did an offensive on Italy really start, with Austria using containment tactics to limit the damage inflicted by the Italians on the border and by blockading ports to wreck havoc on the national economy. Recently occupied Balkan states proved strategicly important for Russia and Austria in the war on Italy.

Articles

 * Reign of Nicholas I