The term LIKE PRE-1917 RUSSIA can be summarized as referring to the Tsarist period of Russian history, which lasted from 1721 until 1917. This period was characterized by a monarchy ruled by a Tsar, or Emperor, and a feudal system of government. The Tsar had absolute power over the country and its people, and the country was divided into provinces and districts ruled by local governors. This period of Russian history ended with the overthrow of the Tsar in the Russian Revolution of 1917.