Sarah Paine

We may have all the resources in the world, but if we don't organize ourselves appropriately, or if we do a whole bunch of own goals with our own leadership, it will cause problems.

constant warfare.

Under the Qing, local areas had to finance all of the government.

The central government didn't finance hardly anything, and that was always a problem.

And it led to massive corruption because if you don't have a budget, then you have to do some way of getting graft or something from people to pay for things.

So this is enduring.

And it's a different institutional setup of how you're going to run things.

Institutions matter.

They channel decision-making.

They channel how money can or can't be made.

It's consequential.

Because it's a gross underestimation of the enemy.

They're thinking, these people are a bunch of nobodies.

And then Nicholas II had an unfortunate incident in Japan.

Who knows whether this influenced him or not.

So he does the royal tour, right, while his dad's still alive.

And he goes all the way around, winds up in Japan, and a samurai there or somebody tries to assassinate him with a sword.

So Nicholas always has a scar up here.

And so I imagine that didn't leave happy memories of Tsarevich.

Yes, whatever.