Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914

Illustration

by Simeon Netchev
published on 24 June 2025

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Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914 — This map illustrates the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I in 1914. Spanning from Eastern Europe to the Pacific Ocean, it was the largest contiguous empire in history. Built through centuries of conquest and colonization, Russia's 19th-20th-century expansion transformed it into a sprawling Eurasian power with complex borderlands.

Following major gains under Catherine the Great (reign 1762-1796), who annexed Crimea and pushed into Poland and the Caucasus, Russian expansion continued through the 19th century. Under Alexander I (reign 1801-1825) and Nicholas I (reign 1825-1855), the empire extended its reach into Central Asia and the Far East. Conquests during the reign of Alexander II (reign 1855-1881) brought territories like Turkestan under Russian control. In the late 19th century, Alexander III (reign 1881-1894) and Nicholas II (reign 1894-1917) continued eastern expansion, culminating in the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the acquisition of parts of Manchuria and Sakhalin. However, military defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905) checked Russia's ambitions in East Asia. By 1914, the empire encompassed diverse peoples and vast geography, but internal unrest and growing nationalist movements foreshadowed the coming collapse.

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About the Author

Simeon Netchev

Simeon is a freelance visual designer and history teacher, passionate about the human stories that shape the past. He believes every image should tell a story and invite interaction, while every map should lead on a journey — blending imagination with e

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Uploaded by Simeon Netchev, published on 24 June 2025. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs. This licence only allows others to download this content and share it with others as long as the author is credited, but they can't change the content in any way or use it commercially. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

Netchev, S. (2025, June 24). Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20616/map-of-the-russian-empire-on-the-eve-of-wwi-1914/

Chicago Style

Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified June 24, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20616/map-of-the-russian-empire-on-the-eve-of-wwi-1914/.

MLA Style

Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Russian Empire on the Eve of WWI, 1914." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 24 Jun 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20616/map-of-the-russian-empire-on-the-eve-of-wwi-1914/. Web. 27 Jun 2025.