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The Crimean War
This is when the ice cold waters of reality first refreshed Imperial Russia's face. The Changes that would come would be too little, too late. It was not in and of it self the start of the end. But, it was a grim foreboding of the future. -
The Hapsburg problem.
In 1871, A declared and recognized United German nation was established. But, The unification was not completed, this would have later consequences. The Austro-Hungarian state should have suffered the same fate of the Polish-Lithuanian Common wealth by partitioning along it's racial lines. The Slavs joining Russia, The Latins of Dalmatia joining Italy, and the completion of Germany's unification. The existence of Austria-Hungary mortally wounded German-Russian relations, And directly led to WW1. -
The Assassination of Alexander II
He was the last competent ruler of Imperial Russia. His foreign policy savvy along with his internal reform efforts gave the nation a fighting chance. His successor undid all his internal reforms viewing his assassination as proof his new ideas did not work. -
The Russo-Japanese War
This ill prepared for conflict at the edge of the Empire Was Russia's to win, Had they been prepared to. The aftermath of this shocking defeat showcased the true inaptitude of Nicholas II to his internal enemies. -
The Balkan Wars.
When the Christian Balkan nations took up arms against the Turks, Russia's absence was noticed. Nicholas II needed a reputation and prestige win after 1905's catastrophic defeat. And to assert his influence over the nations Russia was directly credited for freeing. With how badly the Turks preformed against the Italians before the Balkan War began it is mind boggling why the opportunity was not sized to join in the war. By doing so ending the Turkish nation and freeing Constantinople for good. -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
This is when the existence of Austria-Hungary would bear it's terrible fruit. For Russia and Germany who could have been friends with each other and Italy. Instead they had to go to war over the network of royal alliances formed around more or less, the unfinished unification of Germany. And the existence of a state, not based off a racial group (Like Spain) or even an Idea (Like The United States of America, or Rome in Ancient times) but off of a royal family, a state that was doomed to fail. -
The Brusilov Offensive.
This was the last chance of Imperial Russia to turn the tide against it's downfall. Brusilov on all measurements was the most competent commander in the Russian Imperial military. His namesake offensive was remarkable, however his plan was not universally followed. Despite this the results where incredible, But not enough to turn the tide of the war. Had the Russian logistics and lower levels of command been prepared to capitalize on the success of the Brusilov campaign, Russia may have endured. -
The fall of the Tsar, and of the new republic.
In 1917, the ravages of war and lack of meaningful victories finally boiled over. First fell the Tsar, but the feckless republic continued the war to appease it's allies and preserve it's territory. This led to the rise of Lenin, the Russian civil war had at that moment begun. Lenin needed to cede land for peace to crush his internal enemies. But on November 11th, 1918 they no any longer needed to worry about the Central Powers. -
The Holodomor.
This, is the prime example and most documented, inevitable and unavoidable end result of Marxism. Once the corruption of the party became terminal and the cannibalization or extermination of the upper classes that once existed in the Russian Empire was completed. The hardest working, and lowest paid workers anywhere else on earth became the next victim, The Farmers. Thanks to Poland reporting this tragic story to the world we forever have a benchmark of what horrors Communism truly can do.