Russian Empire, 1725–1762
Autocracy · Empire · Eastern Europe · Enlightenment era
The era of palace coups: instability at the top while imperial expansion continues.
After Peter I the succession passed through palace coups arbitrated by guards regiments and court factions. Favourites and councils governed while the service nobility consolidated its privileges. Imperial expansion and Europeanization continued despite instability at the top. The pattern closed with Catherine II’s accession by coup in 1762.
Dominant patterns
- Imperial Decline
- Militarization
- External Expansion
- Succession Crisis
- Institutional Decay
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 70 |
| Media Control | 30 |
| Repression | 60 |
| Nationalism | 50 |
| Militarization | 76 |
| Economic Stress | 54 |
| External Conflict | 72 |
| Cult of Personality | 52 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 86 |
| Institutions | 44 |
| Social Polarization | 56 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 70 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 30 |
| External Sovereignty | 100 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $900 (intl-$) |
| GDP growth | +0.4%/yr |
| Population | 19.0M people |
| Share of world population | 2.7% |
| Territory | ~15.0M km² |
| Capital population | ~100k |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Russian Empire 1725–1762, by similarity score (0–100).
- Byzantium, 1025–1071 – similarity 92/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis, Institutional Decay
- Roman Republic, 80–44 BCE – similarity 84/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Institutional Decay
- Ottoman Empire, 1808–1839 – similarity 84/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis, Institutional Decay
- France, 1723–1774 CE – similarity 83/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis
- Parthian Empire, 100 BCE–1 CE – similarity 79/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis, Institutional Decay
- Ottoman Empire, 1730–1774 CE – similarity 79/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis, Institutional Decay
- Qajar Persia, 1789–1834 – similarity 79/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis, Institutional Decay
- Delhi Sultanate, 1206–1290 CE – similarity 78/100 · shared: Imperial Decline, Militarization, External Expansion, Succession Crisis
What followed
- A succession of palace coups.
- Strengthening of imperial positions.