The Peasants Strike Back: The Cabinet of Yemelyan Pugachev, 1773

For centuries, the Russian government has taxed and terrorized its peasants through its suffocating system of serfdom. Now, it’s 1773, and it’s not just the peasants who are striking back. 

Yemelyan Pugachev, a Yaik Cossack leader, has been hailed as the reincarnated Peter III, with a dream of abolishing serfdom across the empire. Using manifestos, propaganda, and spies to Catherine II, Pugachev and his allies gained mass support from across the Russian Empire, battling with a fierce persistence against the crown (notably, the Battle of Kazan in 1774). Despite the growing bounties placed on his revolutionary government, Pugachev successfully led the largest peasant revolt in the history of the Russian Empire until 1775, when he was betrayed and assassinated by his closest allies. Delegates have the opportunity to rewrite history by successfully overthrowing the government and abolishing serfdom — though success won’t be easy. The Cabinet of Yemelyan Pugachev must garner public support from a deeply divided populace, maintain order in their revolutionary government, and strategically gain territory as the rebellion progresses.

Is it possible for a group of disaffected peasants to successfully overthrow their economically-oppressive government — or will the revenge of Catherine II squash the rebellion forever? And if success is possible, what would political, social, and economic reform look like in a historically-oligarchal nation? This diverse cabinet of serfs, priests, Cossacks, and indigenous groups is Russia’s last hope for the abolition of serfdom — the fate of the Empire rests in your hands.