Tsar Russia was a very centralised society. A large portion of the population were not allowed to make any decisions for themselves, because they were slaves.

Tsar Russia was a very centralised society. A large portion of the population were not allowed to make any decisions for themselves, because they were slaves. Another large portion were peasants, but they reported to a master. And the Tsar himself was bogged down in decision making about minutiae to the degree that he had little time for strategic thinking.