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Derahan

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Oct 30, 2009
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Hi dear reader! I bid thee welcome to my first ever Victoria 2 after action report (AAR for short)! This is an idea I have grown for some years – yes that is right, years, I have done some gameplay AARs for EUIV but I have never gotten around to write an AAR for one of my favorite games of all time, Victoria 2. Well... Now I have taken myself around the neck and decided to write an AAR I've so sorely wanted. Being a history buff (studied history for 4years which is more than 1/5 of my short life) I hope that I can bring you a worthy Victoria 2 after action report.

I am going to base this game on a gameplay session as Russia and the events that unfold during that game. The game is going to be played as I were a real Czar in history and therefore this will not be a WCAAR but rather a history book AAR of a plausible alternate history of the country of Russia. You either love Russia or you hate Russia I believe and I love the country. It can make for such an interesting game like no other in the Victoria 2 game. I will be using PDM 3.06 for HoD with the MIP 1.8 for PDM which alternates some pop cultures mostly.

For this AAR I will use few if any screenshots or other in-game pictures and will mostly rely on other images as usual for the history book AAR. I do hope that my writing will be adequate to honor this genre of AAR making. Take note that English is my second language so if there is any faults or misspelling please don't go crazy over it as I can't help that I wasn't born to a native english speaking parent and/or parents.

 
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Allow me the honour of the first subscription. :)

Glad to have you here and claim the honour as most as you wish!

On a note to everone who reads this, any critique, comment or correction of spelling is endorsed by me! :)
 
Welcome to our humble home :p

Subscribed, my good sir!
 
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Russia is an ancient nation built upon the values of orthodoxial christianity and brutally enforced feodalism. Too long have this great and humongous nation been laying dormant, awaiting, ever watching it's neighbours and devouring them whenever they showed signs of weakness. Carried on the shoulders of the mighty Russian people, these men live in an empire where there is unforgivable heat and deathly cold. As Europe races ahead of the rest of the world the ideas of old still rests inside this vast empire and it's people are devouted to their ruler like no other subjects around the world for he is their god and he will lead Russia onto the path to greatness.

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Map of Russia 1836, does not include colonies in North America

In the year of our lord 1836 Russia is entering the a new era. The industrial revolution has gathered momentum in western Europe and the European powers are ever expanding into the other continents; Africa, Asia, America and Oceania are become more and more the subjects of European arms and rules. Russia stands as the largest nation on the surface of the earth. It is so large no one really knows how large it really is nor how many people that is actually populating it's provinces. This large empire, stretching from the plains of Poland to the icy-cold wastelands of the yukon river in northwestern America, from the freezing shores of the white sea to the treacherous plateau of the Caucasian mountains. This humongous empire is ruled by the will and conciousness of the all might Czar; Emperor and autocrat of all the Russias. Invested with absolute power, the Czar of Russia commands every moment of the lives of his subjects.

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At the start of 1836 Russia is a backward nation. Technologically compared to the Ottoman empire. Russia with its huge illiterate population could only advance technologically by copying products invented in the western world, slowly adapting to an ever faster modernizing world. Small industries had begun to pop up aroudn Warsaw and Moscow in this huge country, but with more than 90% of the population living in the country side, Russia was far from an urbanized and industrialized country that was emerging in western Europe. On the other hand, Russia had vast reasources of wood, goal, lead, sulphur to name a few and a large population to export this abundance of natural reasources to the rest of the world.

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Though with such a vast area with vast reasources comes even bigger problems. As mentioned before, Russia is ruled by the absolute Czar, currently Nikolai I, who is emperor of all the Russias but only 50% of the population is Russian while the rest of the populance belong to another culture group which more or less hate the Russians. For example take the Ukranians who make up 18% of the population can be either supportive of the Czar or hate him, depending on the firebrand preachers that cross around in Ukraine. Then there are the Poles who make up 8% of the population and they absolutely hate the Russians which is why the kingdom of Poland is ruled directly by the Czar as a military dictatorship. On the contrary, take the Byelorussians who make 6% of the population are closely related to the Russians are in favor of the Czar just as the Russians are and thus make them a normal province of the empire.

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Even if Russia sufferes from ethnical tensions the empire is more religious homogeneous than ethnically. As the Czar was the protector of the Russian Orthodox Church which was the orthodox church in Russia the population saw him as a living saint or even viewed him as a living god who governed them from a distant place they only heard of and would never see. The orthodox church governed the faith of 78% of the population which makes for example the Ukrainians more friendly with the Russian rule but on the other hand, 10% of the population confessed themselves to catholcisim and that was almost all poles and some lithuanians and latvians. The poles didn't view the Russians nor the Czar better when they were of a different faith. Russia was more religious unified than ethnically but the difference in religion would fuel even more dissent as those of the wrong religions would see red.

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Czar Nikolai I
Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland​

Russia is a very complex country. It has cultural ties to both the backwards absolutist rulers of Asia and the progressive constitutional monarchies or republics of Europe. Politically it is ruled by an absolute Czar but the country needs to embrace the modernization that the industrial revolution brings with it, however with the economical and technological progress comes more demands from the population. Ethnically this huge empire is divided more than most other countries witht he exception of Austira but they are a much weaker monarchy than Russia as it is infected with the ideas of the French revolution. Religiously it is almost united however with the opression of the populance with the wrong religion comes ever more hatred inside the empire. With the huge resources that are just waiting to be reaped economic gains will be comming for those who control it but for the vast majority, more than 98% of the population, this wealth will not be accessible which breeds for even more conflict.

There are many tensions inside the empire of Russia. This old, absolute, feodalistic society will face many challenges in the comming 19th century. Will it be able to overcome them all? Will it have to change in face of overwhelming odds or will it bend the knee to forces that is beyond its control? Only time will tell. However, this is the story that you are now going to be told.
 
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Twenty years ago the Russian empire would send it's soldiers southwards. The mountains of Caucasia and the countries south of that need to be defended against any incursion from any enemy, wether it was some Turkish, Kurdish, Azerbidjani och Presian foe. Along the way the army, commanded by general Alexej Petrovitj Yermolov, would pass through the regions of the Caucasians with a secret purpose; The Russian army commanded by Jermolov would annexe the Circassian and Caucasian Imamates and transform them into provinces of the mighty Russian empire. The Russians made a crucial misstake though, the underestimated their enemy. Filled with hybris after the defeat of Napoleon the Russians thought of themselves as the masters of the world but they were so wrong. After years of bloody fight, the war in Northern Caucasus woudl die out. 15-20.000 Russian soldiers lay dead and 40.000+ Caucasians had been killed during the 8 years of conflict between 1817-1825. After 1825, general Yermolov would be appointed as the military commander to govern the province of Northern Caucasia as the area was still under military occupation and would remain so for the following 5 years before the army was pulled out and the governing was handed to government officials.*

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General and govenor Aleksej Petrovitj Yermolov.​

However, the officials that governed the province (or as they would call it. Colony) of Northern Caucasus for the comming 4 years. With 40.000 dead just 5 years prior, the inhabitants of this area would resent anything that was remotely Russian or of any related culture. The civil governor missed out on this xenophobic and revengeful mindset of the native population and tried to enforce Russian culture, law and religion through the use of the Russian milita stationed there (which acted more or less as police officers). The govenor, named Pyotr Ivanov, had earlier been stationed in Russian dominated provices such as Tver and Smolensk which made him not so good at governing a people that was neither Russians nor had any particular love for anything Russian. This Russofication policy driven by Pyotr Ivanov was not ordered by the Czar, he was trying through his own initiative to make the province Russian and thus gain the favor of the people at court. This plan, to enchance Ivanovs reputation misserably failed. At first the Caucasians obeyed the rules, then they ignored them and when the govenor tried to enforce them through force of arms the province erupted into a state of open rebellion against the Russian empire. In April 1834, Pyotr Ivanov was forced to flee the province of Northern Caucasia in fear of his own life and was later sent to Siberia where he would remain the rest of his life. The Caucasian war had made a comeback and was hungry to claim ever more lives of young men.*

*Note: I've changed some of this from actual history to make it fit my AAR story better.

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A small engagement between Russian and Caucasian cavalry.​

Between April 1834 and March 1836 the Imamates of Circassia and Caucasus would break lose and declare independence from the Russian Empire. The Czar Nikolai I had hoped that the militias stationed in the province of Northern Caucasus (which encompassed the Imamates) would be enough to deal with the rebellion. Thus during the first two years the the Caucasian war of independence a gerilla war was faught between the militas of the Russian empire and the gerilla forces of the Imamates. It was during these years that the rising star of the Russian imperial army arose from the ranks of the militias, Anton Yuednich. Yudenich was the son of a noble at the bottom of the aristocratic social class. With limited choices for his future life he chose to join the army instead of the beaurucracy and was assigned as a officer in the militias that was enforcing the law in Northern Caucasus. During the gerilla war Yudenich prooved that he had been born to wage war and was the most successful officer during the war as he won all his small engagements with the Caucasians. However the Russian milita as a whole didn't really succeed against the insurgence and was after 2 years forced out of the Imamates. At this time however, Anton Yudenich had been awarded command of a regiment in the imperial army, just as he thought he had seen enough of the war he would be sent back with the Imperial army to reconquer the province.

During the gerilla war, some 20.000-45.000 had been killed in total. This encompassed Russian soldiers, Caucasian insurgents and Caucasian civilians killed during Russian actions of revenge and scorched earth policy. Now, when the Imperial army entered the province in March 1836, the final year of the open war would commence and as ordered by the Czar, the army would show no mercy for those that showed even the slightest opposition against the Russian empire. The Imamate of Circassia was quickly conquered and returned to imperial rule and was moslty spared the horrors of massive war. After restoring order in Circassia and leaving the militas to keep them under control, the army marched on into the Caucasian Imamate commanded by Imam Shamil. Some 60.000 Russian soldiers now faced the armed forces of Imam Shamil whom numbered 25-28.000 irregulars. Imam Shamil, knowing he would be defeated in open battle retreated in face of the Russian armies. Then for the following year the Russians and Caucasians marched all across the Imamate back and forth with Imam Shamil trying to avoid the Russian army which was now commanded by Anton Yudenich as the commanding general had died from disease. In the end, this resulted in the battle of Sheki. Yudenich 20.000 soldiers squared off against Shamils 20.000 irregulars. The engagement lasted an enitre day and by the end the Russians were forced to retreat after being unable to punch through the Caucasian lines. However, unknown to Yudenich, the other part of the army, some 20.000 Cossacks had managed to keep up with him and engaged with the Imam in battle just days after he had and they managed to massacre the Imam himself and his army.

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The two battles at Sheki which determined the outcome of the war.​

Now the rest of the war was just a long wait for the Czar of Russia. The Cossacks were sent into the Caucasian Imamate and they restored order in the province, returning it to Russian rule once again. But this time there would be no civilian govenor like Pyotr Invanov, unilke last time the Czar appointed the Cossack hetmate (rightful title?) as the military govenor of the province of Northern Caucasia with the job to pacify the province and keep it from revolting again. At the end of the Caucasian war of independence some 50.000 men lay dead beneath the mountain slopes and the country side was completely destroyd. However, as proved just years prior, the region was filled with tension and this was not the last time ethnic minorities would prove to be a thorn in the side of the Russian Czar. With the majority of the population being Caucasian and of the sunni faith, the region would possible never be truly pacified.

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The military occupation of Northern Caucasus as well as the demographics of said area; the proof that future conflict is inevitable.​
 
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Russians doing what they do best, I see; oppressing minorities! ;)

Nonetheless, it all makes for very interesting reading. A good start, D.
 
Not read any of your previous works, but of course recognise. you from the AARlander. I'm currently studying a module in Russia thought through the 19th and 20th centuries so will be keenly following this AAR.
 
You had me at "Russia." I am following with great interest!
 
Russians doing what they do best, I see; oppressing minorities! ;)

Nonetheless, it all makes for very interesting reading. A good start, D.

Opressing minorities is the best part of Vic2! Thanks alot for the kind words. :)

Like the look of this, glad to be a long (almost) from the start!

Thanks! Almost. ;)

Not read any of your previous works, but of course recognise. you from the AARlander. I'm currently studying a module in Russia thought through the 19th and 20th centuries so will be keenly following this AAR.

Interesting! What in particular are you studying? :)

Looks like this will be a good AAR. When can we expect to see the Russians in Istanbul :D

Thanks, you will be in for quiet a surprise! ;)

You had me at "Russia." I am following with great interest!

Glad to have you aboard! Russia is my favorite country in all of the paradox games and I can only say the same everytime I read "Russia". :)
 
Interesting! What in particular are you studying? :)

The module began three weeks ago and runs until May, so we don't go into that much detail - basically looking at the Russian Intelligentsia through the 19th and 20th centuries - each week going into particular detail on a few intellectual disputes or pieces of work. Which wasn't quite what I thought I was signing up for when I applied to take it :p.
 
The module began three weeks ago and runs until May, so we don't go into that much detail - basically looking at the Russian Intelligentsia through the 19th and 20th centuries - each week going into particular detail on a few intellectual disputes or pieces of work. Which wasn't quite what I thought I was signing up for when I applied to take it :p.

Now I am really wondering if my studies about Nordic Catholicism after the reformation and the emancipation of the individual really is so boring as I thought. Sorry but Russia Intelligentsia doesn't sound that all to fun in my ears. :p
 
Now I am really wondering if my studies about Nordic Catholicism after the reformation and the emancipation of the individual really is so boring as I thought. Sorry but Russia Intelligentsia doesn't sound that all to fun in my ears. :p

The module was called 'Ideas, Society and Culture' I was expecting some sort of social historical perspective - turns out the professor is only interested in intellectuals :p.
 
The module was called 'Ideas, Society and Culture' I was expecting some sort of social historical perspective - turns out the professor is only interested in intellectuals :p.

I really like how the take 0.0001% of a population of tens of millions of people and let them define culture and society... I believe I have just offended every AAR maker in history. :p