The Russian people represent the Russian Empire, a Modern Age civilization in Civilization VII.
The Russians' civilization ability is Prosveshchenie, which grants +1 
Culture and +1 
Science on Districts, doubled in Tundra. Their associated wonder is the Hermitage, and their unique components are as follows:
- Unique units: Cossack (military), Katyusha Rocket Launcher (military)
- Unique improvement: Obshchina
- Unique civics: Serfdom, Table of Ranks, Samoderzhaviye
Intro[]
The velikaya dusha - the great Russian soul - emerges upon the world, with its unquenchable appetite for knowledge, poetry... and conquest.
Imperial Russia was known for many things: its vast span across Europe and Asia, luxury and inequality, art and culture. Caught between the eternal question of Russia’s role as part of Europe and the Russian dusha, or soul, the Romanov reign held at the center of its ideology a model of “enlightened absolutism.” With orthodoxy, autocracy, and nationality at its core, Russia brought this rule to bear on populations from Siberia to East Asia.
Strategy[]
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Civilopedia entry[]
Russia has always existed on the sidelines of Europe and Asia; it is not fully part of either landmass but has been immensely influential to both. However, Russia was also the center of another world: the Slavic, Orthodox realm. The mythological origins of Russia center on Rurik the Viking who landed in Novgorod and united its warring tribes into a new hegemony. But, in truth, the state emerged when the Duchy of Muscovy extended its power across nearby Slavic, Baltic, and Finnic groups. This happened under Ivan III in the 15th century, and it transformed the meddling hands of the German and Scandinavian powers of the Baltic into a Russian heartland.
After the fall of the Byzantines, Russia's emperors believed they were the last, best hope for Christendom. Therefore, while Europe was becoming more integrated, Russia remained split. On one side were the Slavophiles, figures that saw Russian identity and the Orthodox religion as the last bulwark of true civilization. On the other side were the more secular Europhiles, Enlightenment-focused individuals who were enamored with Germany and England and especially in love with French culture.
Peter the Great was the quintessential Europhile (1672-1725). He embraced political reforms along European lines and brought feudal Russia into the era of European absolute monarchies. This required European infrastructure, European royal ties, speaking French at court, etc. Notably, Russian nobility intermarried with the West: for instance, Catherine the Great was German, but she married an heir to the Russian throne. Another interesting side story centers on how the genetics of England's Queen Victoria may have fueled the Russian Revolution – Victoria's granddaughter married the Emperor of Russia, thereby passing hemophilia to their son Tsarevich Alexei. The stress of this disorder allowed Rasputin to gain influence with the imperial family, and that relationship would contribute to the family's undoing.
Back in the early 1700s, as Russia was expanding, Peter the Great desired access to the Baltic Sea. At the time, Sweden controlled the Baltic, so Russia defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War, seizing the area that would become St. Petersburg. The city would be home to a new Russia, a European one that could be a significant player in western affairs.
Russia pushed east into Siberia and Alaska, creating a vast colonial empire that was roughly contiguous – its claims to the Pacific region appeared as early as 1700. Then, in 1721, Peter the Great declared his kingdom to be the Russian Empire. This was a realm styled after the European absolute monarchies of its time, but it remained torn between different cultural and religious orientations. Furthermore, it was a colonial empire that did not distinguish sharply between overseas and over-land. Both East and West clashed within its borders.
Napoleon’s march on Russia was the stuff of legend. The French army famously fought against the Russians and the cold; as Napoleon marched forward, the Russians retreated, burning the land as they went so that Napoleon lacked supplies in the bitter weather. When he took Moscow, the Russians continued to retreat. Still, Napoleon learned that he could not conquer the winter. After his own retreat, the Russians followed him all the way back to Paris. For this resounding victory, Tsar Alexander I became the “savior of Europe.”
Core principles of Russian life were questioned in the wake of the wars. In 1848, Europe was rocked by a wave of social agitation that called for revolution – a recognition of workers’ rights and the livelihood of artisans. Russia got initial wind of these social reforms as the empire moved toward autocracy.
The Tsarist Autocracy (samoderzhaviye) of Alexander’s heir, Nicholas I, was contentious. In this system, the Tsar had sovereign authority, with full power over the state and its people. In Russia, this was amplified as no Pope existed to challenge the Tsar’s authority.
Autocracy was actually a feature of many Western powers – but it presented a step backward from the Europhilic reforms Peter favored. Russia retreated to Orthodox religion, an absolute bureaucracy, and an embrace of Slavic nationality. The latter was more inclusive for non-Slavs living in Russia than the name implies, but it was still less inclusive of Jews – antisemitism only grew worse until the Revolution. The idea of a unique “Russian soul” (russkaya dusha) became central to modern Russia, as seen in the writings of Nikolai Gogol, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and others.
As the Empire progressed, things fell apart. Powerful nations must project their power – they must always display that they are winning. Losses hurt. And the later 19th century was full of losses – in Crimea, especially. Fortunately, Russia was surrounded by empires that were decaying faster. As the Ottomans lost their holdings in Eastern Europe, Russia became the benefactor. As Qing China collapsed, Russia also gained its Asian possessions.
Under Alexander II, Russia instituted a series of reforms against serfdom, especially the 1861 emancipation of the serfs. This move sent former serfs streaming into the cities. Nobles (who lost “their serfs”) were granted concessions while newly freed individuals were left swimming in debt. Alexander may have freed the serfs, but he forever held their ire, and revolutionaries assassinated him in 1881. The next ruler would not make the same mistakes, thereby continuing Russia's autocratic journey toward calamity.
The last Tsar was Nicholas II. Unfortunately, Nicholas was entrenched in the autocratic bubble; he was as committed to preserving it as he was blinded by it. Convinced of European superiority, Nicholas launched a disastrous war against Japan, seeking domination of Manchuria. At home, he treated petitions for reformation harshly.
Imperial Russia was destined to fall. Hollowed out internally, it needed to project power that it did not have. The system had been heading toward collapse since Nicholas I. The contradictions in the imperial system were too great, and as wave after wave of revolutionary agitation swept the empire, it was only a matter of time before they washed over the palace. That happened in 1917 as the Bolsheviks came to power. What followed was the story of the U.S.S.R.
Cities[]
Trivia[]
- The Russian civilization's symbol is a double-headed eagle as depicted on the Imperial Russian Coat of Arms.
- The Russian civilization ability is the Russian word for "enlightenment" (просвеще́ние), referring to the Russian Enlightenment Era under Catherine the Great.
- The Russian background art depicts Palace Square and the Alexander Column in Petrograd (St. Petersburg). The Hermitage Museum, is visible in the background, flying the unofficial national flag of Russia used during WWI.
Soundtrack[]
| Original Track | № | Based on | Credits | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "The Russian Empire (Modern Age)" | 44 | Hymn to Red October Krasnaya Armiya Vsekh Sil'ney Shekherazada Polovetskie Plyaski V Sredney Azii Toržestvennaja Uvertjura 1812 Goda |
Composed by Roland Rizzo Performed by FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague |
5:16 |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Russian city in-game (Civ7).jpg (4.8 MB)")
.png "Hermitage in-game (Civ7).png (3.86 MB)")
.jpg "Russian Background (Civ7).jpg (103 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- Russian in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Civilizations [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Antiquity | |
| Exploration | |
| Modern | |
| 1 Requires DLC | |