Weirder things have happened in my game:
Russia turned into an Anarcho-liberal mafia state: Every single province had a major crime in it, they had a grand total of 6 industry techs in 1881, not a single railroad, Japan had a higher industry rating, they had about 100 divisions and 80 000 pounds of debt.
Belgium was a great power. So was Austria and Japan. In 1881.
I kept imagining Russia as a mafia state: Everything is geared towards one thing: The rich republican elite in Moscow. Russia had a quite decent number of culture and army/navy techs.
Oh and the French North African holdings revolted early in the game, so none has colonized northern Africa.