Pre-Revolutionary Russia was a period of time before WW1 in which Russia was ruled by an all-powerful Tsar, who held a seat of total power in the country. This time was characterized by a multitude of hardships for the working class and impoverished folk, who worked for little and struggled to find sources of food; in fact, the peasants were akin to almost slaves under the aristocratic establishment, holding little-to-no rights in the country. This period of time ended when the people of Russia revolted post-WW1 after many had been killed in the war. The government was taken over by the communist government, led by the infamous Vladimir Lenin, in what is now known as the Bolshevik Revolution. 

During the period of Pre-Revolutionary Russia, aristocrats were known to have lavish, sprawling mansions upheld by the peasants. They were characterized to have large windows and sweeping pillars. These fantasmal mansions are compared to the famous Irish country houses in Elizabeth Bowen's "Ireland Makes Irish".