tsarist

Tsarist refers to the period in Russian history when the country was ruled by a Tsar (czar), and to the political, social, and economic system that accompanied imperial rule. The term is most often applied to the Russian Empire from the mid-16th century, beginning with Ivan IV in 1547, through its collapse in 1917 following the February and October revolutions.

The Tsarist state was characterized by autocratic governance, with the Tsar holding broad, centralized authority and claiming the divine right to rule. Over time, the state incorporated a complex bureaucracy, a church-aligned administration through the Holy Synod, and a nobility (dvoryanstvo) that played a key role in governance and landholding. Legal and political institutions existed, but real power often rested with the Tsar and his close advisers rather than with representative bodies. The era saw gradual attempts at modernization, expansion, and administrative reform, particularly under rulers seeking to strengthen imperial cohesion.

Economically, Tsarist Russia remained predominantly agrarian for much of its history, with serfdom until its abolition in 1861 under Alexander II. Industrial development accelerated in the late 19th century, aided by railway construction and foreign investment, though it did not fully transform the social structure. The empire encompassed a wide array of ethnic and religious groups, adding complexity to governance and policy.

The late Tsarist period faced significant challenges, including social unrest, military defeats, and demands for constitutional limits on autocracy. The regime ended with the 1917 revolutions, giving way to Soviet rule. The term Tsarist is widely used in historiography to distinguish pre-revolutionary imperial Russia from later Soviet and post-Soviet periods.