Russian Machines

This timeline explores a world where the Russian Revolution was not instigated by the Bolsheviks, but by a race of subserviant machines built by the Russian republic to serve as workers. This ATL covers not only what occured in Russia, but also the rest of the world.

Introduction
The point of divergence takes place in the mid-1850's, where Nikolai Tesla is born in Moscow, rather than the Austrian empire. Russia in this world is as technologically advanced as the United States, but suffers from a labor-shortage, as a virus spreads through the country. When he is about 52, Tesla travels to the outskirts of Siberia to test his latest invention: The Particle Beam, better known as the Death Ray. The weapon proves to be quite successful, flattening an estimated 80 million trees over thousands of square miles. Upon hearing of his success, Tesla is called to Moscow to by Czar Nicholas II, who instructs him to find a solution to the labor crisis. Tesla creates an a legion of robots to preform manual labor. They prove very successful and are integrated into almost every part of Russian society.

However, robot sympathizers protest that the machines should be released from servitude. The Czar ignores them, instead focusing on sending robot support to his allies in World War I. Then, on November 7th, 1917, a robot sympathizer named Vladimir Lenin infiltrates a warehouse in St. Petersburg containing 10,000 robots and hacks them one by one, leading to them all gaining sentience. Lenin leads them across the city, the countryside, all the way to Moscow. Lenin and the robots bring down Nicholas II and Tesla flees to America. Much later, the robots turned their attention to the rest of the world, especially the politcally unstable United States.

Timeline

 * 1856- Nikolai Tesla is born in Moscow.
 * 1894- Czar Nicholas II becomes leader of Russia
 * 1899- The Ysoev Plague spreads through the country, killing over 500,000 Russian Men, Women, and Children. This leads to a shortage of man power for the next decade.
 * 1900-1908- Tesla Develops his Death Ray weapon and later tests it in the distant Tunguska region of Siberia. Czar Nicholas II instructs him to find a solution to the labor-shortage.
 * 1909- Tesla creates a legion of robots built for Farming, Mining, Construction, and Labor.
 * 1910-1917- The robots are integrated into every part of Russian society, including warfare against the Triple Alliance. Robot Sympathizers protest that they should be freed
 * 1917- Robot sympathizer Vladimir Lenin inflitrates a St. Petersburg warehouse filled with 50,000 robots and hacks them, allowing them to become sentient. He leads them to Moscow, bringing down Czar Nicholas II. Tesla flees to America as Russia pulls out of World War I.
 * 1922- Lenin's mind is removed and becomes integrated with a supercomputer called the Strategic Artificial Logistics Intelligence, or STALIN. His body is preserved in a glass case.
 * 1923- The robots create a new society in Russia, cutting off all traffic and communications in and out of the country for the next two decades.
 * 1933- Hitler comes to power in Germany, but is assassinated by an unknown individual. He is replaced by a more effective general only known as The Fuhrer, who defies the Treaty of Versailles and rebuilds Germany's military
 * 1939- The Fuhrer leads suprise invasions on Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Luxembourg simaltaneously, easily defeating and annexing the countries. Britain and France declare war immediately after.
 * 1943- 20 years after conquering Russia, the robots break through the borders and begin a rapid conquest of Europe. The robots reach Portugal after less than 2 weeks. Britain remains safe from the robots across the English Channel.
 * 1944- The robots create large airships to fly to London and begin bombing the city, killing 35,000 people.
 * 1945- Europe is completely dominated by the robots, lead by the STALIN-lenin hybrid. Nikolai Tesla dies.
 * 1950- The robots construct massive factories across Europe and Asia to build more of themselves
 * 1957- The robots launch the Kintups satellite into orbit to monitor the Earth
 * 1960- Richard Nixon is elected President. Later that year, Georgia declares independence from the US.
 * 1963- Nixon is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas. Riots persist in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. JFK is inaugurated as President later that year.
 * 1967- The robots begin placing monitoring stations on Cuba. The U.S. Government begins to take notice.
 * 1968- A war between the United States and Machine empire begins.
 * 1970- The robots conquer most the United States east of the Rockies, as well as Canada and Mexico
 * 1975- The robots conquer the rest of the United States. The remaining governments flee to Hawaii.
 * 1979- The Hawaiian islands become the last refuge from the machines as they consume and conquer most of the planet.