1855-1894 Economic Developments Flashcards
What did emancipation give peasants (in theory)
Ability to leave village and work in industry
What hampered the peasantry after emancipation
Redemption payments, the Mir, grain requisitioning and high taxes kept the peasants poor
What restricted the peasants movement
The Mir
How much land did the average peasant have? Issue?
Less than 4 hectors
Not enough to subsist
Who kept the best land
The nobility
What caused land to be divided into even smaller pieces
Every male child had right to land
What were farming methods like
Backwards
Why were farming methods backwards
The Mir resisted change
Peasants didn’t have enough to invest in equipment
In 1878 what % of the peasants could produce a surplus
Only 50%
What group formed and did well due to emancipation
Kulaks
How did the Land Banks help the peasants
Could buy surplus land and land off nobles with low interest rates
How many hectors of land were bought by peasants between 1877 and 1905
26 million hectors
What were yields like compared to Britain and Germany
3x lower
Why could you describe The Great Famine as being man made
Exported lots of grain
Which finance minister was responsible for The Great Famine
Vyshnegradsky
What did Vyshnegradsky say about about grain exporting
‘We ourselves shall not eat, but we shall export’
How many people died of starvation or disease in The Great Famine
350,000
Who was Vyshnegradsky replaced by
Witte
What climate factors caused The Great Famine
Early winter and long hot summer ruined crops
What did Russia lack to start industrialisation
A middle class
Who was the first finance minister
Mikhail von Reutern
When was Reutern Minister of Finance
1862-1878
What reforms did Reutern introduce
Reformed the treasury (more efficient and publishing budgets)
Tax-farming abolished
Tax system reformed
Tariffs reduced (encourage trade and foreign investment)
Subsidised railway development
Growth of cotton and coal minining
Banking improved
What bank was introduced in 1860
State bank
What bank was introduced in 1862
Municipal bank
What bank was introduced 1869
Savings bank
What was the annual growth rate under Reutern
6%
What expanded under Reutern? What helped
Railways and industry
Helped by foreign experts and money
What new industries emerged under Reutern? Where?
Oil in Baku
Ironworks in Donetsk
How much of its income was Russia spending on paying off debt
1/3
What market remained small
Domestic market for goods
What year was Reutern forced to raise tariffs
1878
Why did Reutern have to raise tariffs
Increase revenue which had become overly reliant on indirect taxes paid by peasants
What created instability
The rouble, due to it varying in value
Who was the second finance minister
Vyshnegradsky
What years was Vyshnegradsky Minister of Fiance
1887-1892
What was the main aim of Vyshnegradsky
Balance the budget
What percentage was Vyshnegradsky’s tariff and what was it on?
30%
On imported raw materials
Why did Vyshnegradsky introduce a high tariff
To boost Russian iron, coal and oil industries
What happened to grain exports between 1881-1891
Increased by 18%
What year did Vyshnegradsky achieve a budget surplus
1892
Who was the third Minister of Finance
Sergei Witte
When was Witte Minister of Finance
1892-1903
What was Witte focused on
Economic modernisation
What did Witte think economic modernisation would stop
Revolutionary activity
What policies did Witte use
Protective tariffs
Heavy taxation
Forced exports
What was encouraged under Witte
Foreign investment from Western Europe
What did Witte use foreign investment to fund
Development in railways, oil, metal and banking
What’s an example of a development in railways under Witte
The Trans-Siberian Railway
What happened to the number of factory workers between 1887-1908
Factory workers doubled
In 1900 how many times higher was coal production then in 1880
5x
In 1900 how many times higher was oil production production then in 1890
2.5x
Between 1894-1904 what was the annual growth rate
8%
What did Russia become under Witte
The 4th biggest industrial economy
