6. Social and economic developments Flashcards

1
Q

Ivan Vyshnegradsky

Who was he?

A

Minister of finance 1887-1892

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2
Q

Ivan Vyshnegradsky

What did he do?

A
  • Raised tarrifs and prohibited importive tarrif of 30% of items value introduced = designed to boost home production and helped iron industry + machinery.
  • Increased indirect taxes and mounted drive to swell grain exports = on the surface - sucsessful, 1881-91 exports incraesed by 18% and budget in surplus.
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3
Q

Ivan Vyshnegradsky

Quote about famine

A

“we ourself shall not eat, but we shall export.”

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4
Q

Ivan Vyshnegradsky

Cause of The Great Famine?

A

remarkable export drive at expense of peasants who paid taxes and saw their grain aquistioned by state, left with no reserves for winter

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5
Q

The Great Famine

Dates

A

1891-92

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6
Q

The Great Famine

Death toll

A

over 350,000

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7
Q

The Great Famine

How many russian provences did it effect?

A

17/39

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8
Q

The Great Famine

Effect on population

A

= weakened by hunger - susceptible to disease, even when food began to grow - cholera and thypoid spread.
= able bodies died, no family breadwinner
= early winter + dry summer = crops ruined.

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9
Q

Sergei Witte

Who was he?

A

Minister of finance 1892-1903
= committed to economic modernisationnto curb revolutionary activity.

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10
Q

Sergei Witte

His policy surrounding tarrifs?

A

Continued high tarrifs on foreign imprts to protect domestic industries - so Russian companies brought home produced goods - less money flowed out of Russia.

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11
Q

Sergei Witte

Policies surrounding tax?

A

Raised indirect tax rates on everyday items, hit peasants so they were forced to sell more grain to sell abroad.
Workers wages kept low - money back into industrial development.

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12
Q

Sergei Witte

Use of gold reserves?

A
  • Built them up.
  • 1897 - adopted gold standard for rouble so ER’s now fixed against other currencies - added scurity for foreign investors.
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13
Q

Sergei Witte

Railway development

A
  • Trans-Siberin railway set up, involved 25 factories + invested millions of state money. - by 1899, state brought 2/3 of production.
  • end of 1890s = 60% iron and steel consumed by railways
  • stimulated metallurigical, engerneering.
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14
Q

Sergei Witte

Use of loans

A

Negotiated loans to pay for level of expenditure, 1900 1/3 capital invested by foreign money.
~ critics accused him of creating dangerous dependence on them.

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15
Q

Agriculture and land issue

Why did emancipation fail to bring any change?

A
  • high taxes
  • grain requisitions
  • redemption payments
  • traditional farming practices
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16
Q

Agriculture and land issue

Yeilds compared to West Europe

A

= Low

17
Q

Agriculture and land issue

When was Peasants and Nobels land bank established, and what was it’s drawback?

A

1883
loans offered often merley increased debts

18
Q

Agriculture and land issue

Agricultral productions in 1870/80s increased or decreased?

A

Increased overall due to Vyshnegradsky export drive.
But famine showed average peasant had too little land to become prosperous.

19
Q

State promoted industrial growth

What supported industrial expansion?

A

use of foreign technical expertise and capital

20
Q

State promoted industrial growth

What year did oil extraction begin in Caspain Sea?

A

1871

21
Q

State promoted industrial growth

When was iron works set up?

A

1872

22
Q

State promoted industrial growth

Who established the Naphtha Extraction company, and for what purpose?

A
  • Nobel Brothers.
  • For coal and oil extraction.
23
Q

State promoted industrial growth

Who was Mikhail von Reutern?

A

Minister of finace 1862-78
produced series of reforms.

24
Q

State promoted industrial growth

Policies to boost econ and drive industrialisation

A
  • treasury reformed + new tax collecting arrangements.
  • tax farming abolished.
  • state bank est. 1860
  • munciple bank 1862
  • savings bank 1869
  • reduction of import duties 1863
  • gov subsidies offered = enable priv entrepunures to develop railways.
  • Foreign I encouraged.
25
Q

State promoted industrial growth

How did econ remain weak?

A
  • 1/3 of gov expenditure went on debt repayment.
  • 60% gov rev from indirect tax = kept peasants poor + domestic market small.
  • tarrifs re-raised 1878
26
Q

State promoted industrial growth

positives of policy

A

caused annual growth rate of 6%

27
Q

Social classes

Middle class

A
  • began to grow w/ increase in education.
  • govs built railways + set up factories = provided opportunities.
  • bankers, doctors, teachers = greater demand.
28
Q

Social classes

Landed elite

A
  • small, diverse.
  • mostly nobel status
  • by 1882 <700 nobels owned their businesses + 2500 employed in transport or industry.
  • highly stratified.
29
Q

Social classes

Urban working class

A
  • 2% of pop, expanded w/ growth of industry.
  • move temporarily to towns then back to countryside to farm.
  • city conditions = grim and little pay.
  • 1864 1/3 inhabitants of st.P peasants by birth.
30
Q

Social classes

1882: series of reforms for working conditions

A
  • child labour regs.
  • reduction of work hours.
  • reductions in fines + appointments of inspection to check conditions.
    = contributed very little.
    = peasants sttracted to regular wages - 33 strikes per year 1886-94, still illegal.
31
Q

Position of peasantry

What was the average life expectancy?

A

27 = men
29 = woman
VS 49 in UK

32
Q

Position of peasantry

Heath of peasants

A
  • large propertion unfit for military service.
  • mortality rates higher than any other European country
33
Q

Position of peasantry

Peasant divisions

A
  • Kulaks - top, brought up land, also ‘pawn brokers’ for grain
34
Q

Position of peasantry

Living standards?

A
  • Varied
  • former state peasants = better, well off more than serfs as granted more land.
35
Q

Cultural influence of church

What percentage of pop was subscribed to Orthodox Church?

A

70%

36
Q

Cultural influence of church

Role of Tsar

A

had devine right to rule + saint on earth

37
Q

Cultural influence of church

Alex III russification influence

A
  • enabled promotion of Orthodoxy
  • became an offence to convert to another faith or publish criticism.
  • <8500 muslims
  • 50k pagans
  • 40k catholics
    = converted during his rule.
38
Q

Cultural influence of church

Priests role

A
  • role by state to read out Imperial manifestos + decrees
  • Keep stats
  • root out opposition
  • inform police of any sus behaviour.
  • had close ties w villages.
39
Q

Geographical limitations of growth

A
  • Vast size and harsh climate limited agricultural productivity. e.g Tundra
  • Sparse population density in Siberia hindered economic development and resource exploitation.