Nicholas II - economy

• who was his finance minister from 1892-1903

  Sergei Witte
• what did Witte want for industry?

  wanted state-managed growth with help from overseas (workers, managers etc)
• Coal output

  1890 =

  1900 =

  Coal output

  1890 = 183 million puds

  1900 = 671 million puds
• Supply of foreign capital (foreign investment soared)

  France = (fraction)

  Britain = %

  Germany =

  Belgium =

  USA =

  Supply of foreign capital (foreign investment soared)

  France = ⅓ of all foreign capital

  Britain = 23%

  Germany = 20%

  Belgium = 14%

  USA = 5%
• Foreign investment (millions of roubles)

  1895 =

  1900 =

  1914 =

  Foreign investment

  1895 = 280 millions of roubles

  1900 = 911 millions of roubles

  1914 = 2000 millions of roubles
• what was the annual growth rate from 1894-1913

  over 8% per annum
• when did the new rouble go on the gold standard and why

  Jan 1897

  - to strengthen, encourage foreign investment/confidence in rouble
• what % of Russia's railways did the state control in the early C20th

  70%
• what fraction of all Russia's metallurgical production did the state buy metallurgical production

  almost ⅔
• what % of Russia's income came from industrial investments in 1903-13

  25%
• what did Gerschenkron (a historian) dubb the late 1890s?


  "the great spurt"

  → industry progressed more in one decade than it had the past century
• how many km of railway did Russia have by 1905

  Almost 60,000 km
• what was the benefit of having such a large railway

  - more extensive exploitation of raw materials

  - linked grain-growing areas to Black Sea ports which reinforced exports

  - stimulated iron/coal industries

  - Transport costs fell, bringing down price of goods + govt made money from passenger fares
• when did railway building somewhat slow

  1908-13
• by 1913, where was russia's railway network in world rankings

  russia had 2nd largest railway network in the world
• 1913

  russia's railway network =

  USA's railway network =

  1913

  russia's railway network = 62,200 km

  USA's railway network = 411,000 km
• what was built 1891-1902

  Trans-Siberian railway
• how long was the Trans-Siberian railway and what key good impact did it have

  - 7000 km

  - opened up western siberia for emigration and farming
• what industrial change did Witte emphasise

  - light --> heavy industry

  - lighter industries (esp textiles) led the way in earlier industrial growth

  - Witte believed in investment in heavy goods production
• where were there examples of development of heavy industry

  - The Donbas region

  - The Caspian Sea port of Baku

  - Moscow

  -St Petersburg
• how many square km was the Donbas Region

  23,300 square km
• what % of Russian coal did the Donbas region supply by 1913

  87%
• When combined with the iron fields of the Krivoi Rog, was % of russian pig-iron did the Donbas Region produce

  it produced 74% of all Russian pig-iron by 1913
• where was Russia in world rankings of coal, pig iron and steel production by 1914

  4th largest producer of coal, pig iron, steel
• what happened to russian oil production from 1885-1913

  russian oil production trebled from 153 million puds to almost 570 million puds
• where was Russia in world rankings of oil production

  2nd in the world
• where was Russia in world rankings of gold mining

  4th in the world
• what was a clear indicator that russian industry had developed overall

  Russia became self-sufficient and able to compete with USA on international market
• what was industrially great about Moscow

  - Overtook St Petersburg as industrial centre

  - Position as hub of railway network

  - Main link between europe and east
• what area did St Petersburg especially grow in and why

  engineering with expansion of the Putilov Iron Works
• by how many did the workforce of the Putilov Iron Works grow between 1891-94

  by 2000
• Number of factories

  1887 =

  1908 =

  Number of factories

  1887 = 30,888

  1908 = 39,856
• Number of factory workers

  1887 =

  1908 =

  Number of factory workers

  1887 = 1.3 million

  1908 = 2.6 million
• what % of total industrial output was light industry and textiles in 1910

  40%
• in terms of industrial power where was Russia in world rankings by 1914

  russia was world's 5th largest industrial power (after UK, USA, France, Germany)
• what was one industrial reason why German generals urged war against russia in 1914

  because delaying war would allow Russian industrialisation to outstrip German economy
• what % of the population did the rural economy provide for

  80-90%
• why was agriculture initially not developing

  it was largely ignored/sacrificed in interests of industrialization until 1906
• who was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs in 1906Stolypi
• what was agriculture like before 1906

  - Small-scale

  - Former serfs and peasants in charge

  → tied to local mir by redemption payments

  → heavily taxed

  → exploited by the State

  - Population grew, land did not