You were Tsar of Russia?

[Kaiser Kronos]

What the title says. You're made Tsar of Russia, around the time of Alexander II's ascension. What would you do?

Personally, I would have embarked on a much earlier industrialization Stalin-style and built up the Russian army. I would then launch a revanchist strike and also I'd shoot a Mr. Ulyanov and a Mr. Dzughashivili. If I could reshape the land of the Tsars in my image...:darklord:

[Cole Deschain]

As absolute Tsar and Aurocrat?

Well, I'd still liberate the serfs.

Serfdom is counterporductive in the extreme.

I would aggressively pursue ties with the rising power of Germany (particularly after 1871. To hell with the French, ally with the rising power, rather than the declingin one), possibly by marrying any children I could into the Huse of Hohenzollern.

Ditto with the Hapsburg Empire, tossing pan-Slvic ambitions in the dumpster where they belong.

Grant Finland Home Rule, ditto with Russian Ukraine and Poland. Allow the "national" groups JUST enough autonomy to frustrate the amitions of their REAL nationalists.

Now, with Eastern Europe more or less united, go for the Ottoman Empire's jugular, importing the best methods Prussia has to teach me. Snap up as much Black Sea territory as possible, maybe make a stab at Constantinople, but not to an absrd degree- if the Austrians or Germans seem to be having better luck, let them have it. My interest is in more warm-water naval ports, as well as acess tho British India-

Because if I can directly threaten the Raj with my army, I can keep the British from interfering directly.

That leaves France alone and isolated in Europe- at which point, I would exercise diplomacy with my allies on their behalf- in order to keep the Germans off-balance.
I would set the clergy and nobility agaisnt each other, while going for populist appeal without actualyl doing much, in order to secure power at home.

In the model of Peter the Great, I wouldn't let Slavic pride get in the way of importing ideas and technologies that WORK from elsewhere-

And once I have the Black Sea encircled, and I or my allies hold the Bosphorus, I could send the Black Sea Fleet into the Meidterranean in order to effect policy.

At this point, with the Ottomans destroyed or humbled, Germany and Austria more or less in my corner, France reduced, and England effectively poewerless to harm my entirely continental Empire, I would settle accounts with China over the Amur River border dispute- by doing all in my power to encoruage Japan's role on the world stage. Once they begin to pressure the Chinese, Russia steps in as a "friendly neutral," in exchange for which I would use the goodwill this genrates to try and secure territorial concessions.

Back in Europe, this rise in power has almost certianly drawn envy and fear- so to ease tensions, I would (having kept the nationalists dancing for years) grant the Polish provinces their idnependence, in order to create a weak buffer state beytween me and my allies- after all, I can always re-take the territory if push comes to shove.

By this time, I'm probably dead of old age or an assassin's bullet, depending.