What was Russia like at the start of the course?

Russia had an absolute monarchy, where the Tsar had power over every part of the governing of Russia. 

There was no vote (for anyone) and any influence would be held by aristocrats who were in favour of the Tsar.

Due to the power which was held by the Tsar (remember that he was "appointed by God"), there was no room for political parties and the secret police (alongside censorship), prevented freedom of political choice.

There was huge class divide in Russia, with a lot of the population being serfs.

Russia was being held back by its lack of agricultural development, and this meant that most of the working class were struggling to make a living.

Provisions were put in place to limit the influence of the western world in education and to keep the different social classes in check.

By the end of the19th century, 4/5 of children had no education, the majority of adults were illiterate, and working and peasant classes couldn't study in secondary school.

Higher education was restricted to the nobility and those aged 10-18 weren't allowed to study abroad. Teachers were closely examined for their morals and political views.

Children were generally taught what their social class was expected to know.

Russia's army had a huge territory to defend and had to be called to many potential revolutions. They were used to evoke fear and keep order.

At the time, the secret police kept serious threats to a minimum.

The military needed to be used in the Russo-Turkish war and the Russo-Japanese war, and in both cases their equipment was outdated, officers incompetent, and the forces suffered numerous defeats.