 In the 1800s, Russia lagged behind European modernization and industrialization  Society dominated by nobles  Estates worked by serfs  No real middle class  Rural  Poor infrastructure  Weak military (as seen in the Crimean War)

 Tsar Nicholas I worked to industrialize Russia, but was resistant to ideas that questioned the old order  Due to Decembrist Revolt  Slavophiles : Russian intellectuals who favored resisting western European influences  Promoted Orthodox Church, rule of the Tsar and the system of serfdom

 1861, Tsar Alexander II emancipated serfs  Created district assemblies ( zemstvos )  Elected representatives for all classes, but still under czarist authority  Encouraged industrialization in the form of infrastructure  Trans-Siberian Railroad  Trade unions and strikes outlawed  Resulted in poor conditions for the lower classes  1881, Alexander II assassinated

 By the late 1800s, Russia had expanded East to the Pacific  Incorporated Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, etc.  Border expansion caused conflict with Japan  1904, Russo-Japanese War  Russia again suffered an embarrassing defeat