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a-a-ra-s-s-s-s-a-s-s-a-s-a-s- Welcome to the Russian rulers podcast. Episode 63 Road Trip to Destruction.

Last episode, we talked about how Nicholas II made one bad decision after another,

alienating millions of people and fueling the fires of revolution. after another major debacle was to occur that sparked the revolt since the time of Pugachev during the reign of Catherine the Great.

Sergei Vite had overseen the expansion of the Russian Railroad System, especially the

Trans-Siberian rail line.

This caused a great migration of people and businesses throughout the far eastern parts of Russia.

Resources, some of which are still being discovered today, were being exploited to the benefit of the upper

classes on the backs of the poorer people.

This caused growing tensions between the haves and the have-nots.

This divide in Russia was immense, and the tensions enormous.

The drive for resources also put Russia in conflict with a number of countries.

Since the time of Peter the Great, Russia yearned for warm water ports.

To the south they had the port of Sevastopol, but lost it during the Crimean War.

To the north, there was archangel, with only a few months of ice-free navigation available.

Vladavastok was a newly acquired port to the available. by an aspiring world power, Japan.

Japan have been spending much of its resources on making it a powerful militaristic nation.

Its leadership was building its Navy to become one of the most powerful in the world due to its modernization policy.

This was the exact opposite of the Russian Navy, run by the greedy and incompetent brother of the late Star Alexander the 3rd,

Grand Duke Sergei.

Sergei was convinced that there was no need to update his Navy as he compared it to his enemy to the south, Turkey.

Their Navy though was one of the most decrepit in all of Europe.

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