Sergei Witte and Economic Reform in Russia
- Created by: Sophie Hurford
- Created on: 11-05-13 17:05
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- Sergei Witte and Economic Reform in Russia
- Successes
- Heavy Industry
- Concentrated industries together and developed large factories of over 1,000 workers
- Coal production trebled
- Oil production increased from 4 million tons to over 10 million tons between 1890 and 1900
- Railways
- Miles of railways increased from 19,000 to 33,000 between 1890 and 1900
- Trans-Siberian railway "unlocked" the resources of Siberia
- Acted as a catalyst, encouraging and helping growth in other industries
- Massive increase in foreign investment- clear sign that other countries recognised Russian economic growth
- Heavy Industry
- Limitations/ Failures
- Industrial Problems
- Statistics are misleading- Russia started from a very low point, so rate of economic growth was impressive
- Emphasis on heavy industry neglected other parts of economy e.g. light engineering
- Railway network still very small- only a sixth of the land surface
- Large parts of Trans-Siberian railways still incomplete by 1914
- Russia was too dependent on foreign loans- foundations of the economy were unstable and Russia burdened with debt
- Agricultural Problems
- Witte (like Vyshengradsky) neglected Russian peasants and agriculture
- Peasants were burdened with high indirect taxation and were forced to sell grain to the government- contributed to famine
- ***** farming methods remained inefficient compared to other countries
- Agriculture appointed for 85% of people's livelihoods and yet it was sacrificed to fuel industrial growth
- Social Problems
- Urban population increased- 1.3 million factory workers in 1887, 2.6 million in 1908
- No effective trade unions meant workers' rights weren't represented
- Dangerous working conditions and long hours
- Overcrowding in major cities
- Workers' wages didn't increase with inflation
- Increase in strike activity
- Industrial towns became hotbeds of radical opposition to the Tsar
- Industrial Problems
- Aims
- Achieve rapid industrialisation
- emphasis on developing heavy industry and railways
- Use the economic growth to preserve Great Power status
- In particular, by strengthening the military
- Improve living standards and reduce opposition to the Tsar
- TO STRENGTHEN AUTOCRACY
- Use the economic growth to preserve Great Power status
- In particular, by strengthening the military
- Improve living standards and reduce opposition to the Tsar
- Achieve rapid industrialisation
- emphasis on developing heavy industry and railways
- Use the economic growth to preserve Great Power status
- Achieve rapid industrialisation
- Successes
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