Sergei Witte

Question 1

Who was Sergei Witte?

Answer 1

Russia’s minister of finance (1892-1903), a nobleman, oversaw impressive changes

Question 2

What was the key to Russia’s “great power”

Answer 2

Witte’s beliefs

Question 3

What would developing industry do

Answer 3

produce a way to avoid dependency and create strong modern state in Russia

Question 4

Four Fold Plan

Answer 4

Witte’s plan to deliver an industrialized Russia to fund the programm of Capitol investment

Question 5

Four fold plan description

Answer 5

.

Question 6

Success of Witte’s industrialization drive

Answer 6

• Foreign investment
• Industrial output
• Trans Siberian Railway

Question 7

Foreign investment

Answer 7

Rapid increase from 200M roubles in 1890 to 900M in 1900

• Contributed to development of heavy industries

Question 8

Industrial output

Answer 8

Impressive advancements, esp in heavy industry

• Overall output increase by 400% 1890-1910 w/increase of coal, iron, and steel production accordingly

Question 9

Trans Siberian Railway

Answer 9

Witte saw this as a way to improve communication and stimulating industrial demands for goods

• Railway coverage increased from 700KM to 6000KM from 1890-1905
• Engineering to connect w/ Vladivostok stretching 600km

Question 10

Failures of Witte’s industrualiazations

Answer 10

• Railway Coverage
• Foreign Capitol
• Agriculture problems
• Work

Question 11

Railway coverage

Answer 11

Minimal compared to U.S.

• Trans Siberian v symbolic b/c only 1 track
• Other forms of communication lagged (roads, shipping)

Question 12

Foreign capitol

Answer 12

Dependency for industrialization means interest payment on the loan had to be regularly 20%

• Political opponents of Witte accused him of being unpatriotic in his courting of foreign capitols

Question 13

Agriculture problems

Answer 13

Squeezing peasants for grain + taxes resulted in starvation during bad harvest years (1900-02) + peasant uprising

• Meaning Witte did not pay any attention to agriculture problems which effected the whole population

Question 14

Work

Answer 14

Although a small portion of the population worked industrial jobs (2% in 1900) they still faced low wages, long hours, and poor living conditions

• Protests called for more political power for workers

Question 15

Overall assessments of industrial policies

Answer 15

• Industrial + railway developments
• Matching political reforms
• Chairman of comitees

Question 16

Industrial + railway developments

Answer 16

Strengthened Russia leading up to ww1, the development of railway and whatnot was b/c huge capitol investment bringing clear economics and military benefits

Question 17

Matching political reforms

Answer 17

No political reforms to match economic modernization which caused tension that undermined Russia before 1914

• Industrial drive failed to adress fundamental agriculture backwardness

Question 18

Chairman of committees

Question 19

Hugh Seton Watson Quote

Answer 19

” One of the outstanding statesmen of the 19th century”