This episode takes you to Russia’s 19th-century peak—from beating Napoleon to the mid-1800s, a time when its might wasn’t in industry, but in ruling Europe’s political game.  

It’s the story of how Russia became the "European Gendarme," quelling revolutions (like Hungary’s) and making powers like Prussia back down with just a Tsar’s "attention."  

But here’s the surprise: beneath its fearsome influence, Russia was shrinking into conservatism, choked by bloated bureaucracy and falling behind Western Europe’s industrial surge.