AHC: Russian Persia, Afghanistan and Baluchistan?

[Armot]

I mean, can that countries be absorbed by Russia at the same "level" as the other Whateverstans in Central Asia? Or only Afghanistan and Baluchistan and not Persia?

If it's possible, what then? I can imagine a richer Russia, but more exhausted of such megawank, more British invest on Hindustan and Arabian Peninsula, and maybe a British intervention on Mesopotamia, less Russian interest in Far East: maybe Russia just leaves Alaska and Canada take it...

More interesting: Can it imply a scramble of Asia? Scramble of China, maybe a British Thailand... and a Thai Canal? Sorry, Singa-poor.

Later in time, can Russia be more stable and avoid the Revolution? If there is still Revolution, at the fall of Communism: I don't think Russia will just leave his warm water port to become independent.

I'm not an expert, far from it, I just soffer from Russophilia. What are your thoughts?

 

[Polish Eagle]

There are two possible approaches--either Russia subdues Kazakhstan and the other central Asian areas sooner than IOTL (IOTL, they only seemed to bother with them when the time came to build a buffer against the growing British presence in India, by which time this thread can be answered with a definitive "no"), or Russia expands directly into Persia by way of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

It seems to me that the Russians aren't going to move into Kazakhstan in great numbers until the nineteenth century, so that leaves a Russian conquest effort through Georgia into Azerbaijan. By the early eighteenth century, the Russians had made progress on this front, but the continuing struggle against the Turks meant that Russia needed Persia as an ally more than it needed the southern shores of the Caspian Sea.

Generally, I don't think Russia will devote significant forces to a conquest of Persia until such time as the Ottoman Empire is made subservient to Russia.

 

[Urcea]

There are two possible approaches--either Russia subdues Kazakhstan and the other central Asian areas sooner than IOTL (IOTL, they only seemed to bother with them when the time came to build a buffer against the growing British presence in India, by which time this thread can be answered with a definitive "no"), or Russia expands directly into Persia by way of the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea.

It seems to me that the Russians aren't going to move into Kazakhstan in great numbers until the nineteenth century, so that leaves a Russian conquest effort through Georgia into Azerbaijan. By the early eighteenth century, the Russians had made progress on this front, but the continuing struggle against the Turks meant that Russia needed Persia as an ally more than it needed the southern shores of the Caspian Sea.

Generally, I don't think Russia will devote significant forces to a conquest of Persia until such time as the Ottoman Empire is made subservient to Russia.

Would an earlier Turkish demise POD do it (perhaps the Western powers decide they can't be bothered keeping the Empire alive anymore)? Or would the other butterflies cause weird things to happen preventing Russia from hitting Persia (i.e. Constantinople becomes Russia's capitol or whatever)

 

[CobaltKnight]

How about Islam becomes quite popular in Russia, that becomes the official religion, and centuries down the line they go on a conquest down south to unify Muslims?

 

[Armot]

Wow, I didn't know that the Russian occupation of Central Asia was a response to the British India, really interesting information. In case of Russian disinteresting on Central Asia, they may will be Russian puppets anyway.

I like the idea of an early Ottoman fall, maybe by civil war? In fact, Ottoman Empire was there only because of the Western help for avoiding a powerful Russia.

Constantinople as Russian capital will mean a Holy Russian Empire, I think. That can imply forcing the Asian subdits to convert to Orthodox Christianity, which can cause constant uprising and rebellion, with British support.

Islamic Russia? That requieres a too early POD with lots of butterflies, I'm thinking in a POD between 1750 and 1850, the Golden Age of Imperialism.