Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Economic reform under Witte 1893-1903
- aims
- to modernise Russia so that it could compete with the West
- tsar's aims:
- to improve the strength of
the Russian armed forces
- 'Russia has the
right and strength
not to want to
remain the
handmaiden of
states that are
more developed
economically'
- Methods Witte used
- state capitalism
- acquire capital for investment in industry
- large loans/ investment abroad
- heavy taxes and high interest rates at home
- protective tarriffs
- 1897: gold standard
- financial stability to encourage international investment
- invited foreign experts/workers to advise
- railways
- Witte believed modernisation was reliant on an
effective transport system
- 1881: 13,270 miles of track
- 1913: 43,850
- Transiberian railway 1891-1902
- Moscow --> Vladivostok
- connected remoter regions of empire
to industrial west to encourage
migration of workers
- Successes/Failures
- Successes
- 1890: Coal=5.9
millions of tons,
Oil=3.9
- 1910: Coal=
26.8, Oil= 9.4
- 1898-1913 96.8% growth
- Considering level of backwardness
- Failures
- made Russia dependent on foreign loans
- gave priority to heavy industry so
neglected other industry/ agriculture
- disliked/distrusted by
tsar, dismissed in
1906