8. Economic development up to 1914

Question 1

By how much did foreign investment increase between 1895 and 1914?

Answer 1

280m roubles in 1895 to 2bn roubles in 1914

Question 2

How many kilometres of railway did Russia have by 1905?

Answer 2

59,600 km

Question 3

What % of the railways were state-owned by 1905?

Answer 3

66%

Question 4

By how much did the number of factory workers change between 1887 and 1908?

Answer 4

It doubled, from 1.3m to 2.6m workers.

1887 to 1908

Question 5

How much of Russian coal was supplied by the Donbas region by 1913?

Answer 5

87%

Question 6

How much did Russian oil production increase between 1885 and 1913?

Answer 6

It trebled

Question 7

What was Russia’s industrial growth rate between 1908 and 1913?

Answer 7

8.5%

Question 8

Why was land reform needed by 1906?

Answer 8

• Peasants still used wooden ploughs and inefficient medieval farming practices.
• British farms were 4 times more efficient than Russian ones.
• Most peasants still tied to their local mir due to the redemption dues.

Question 9

When were redemption payments abolished?

Answer 9

1 Jan 1907

Question 10

What was the aim of Stolypin’s land reforms?

Answer 10

To make more kulaks - to replace communal farming with a system whereby each peasant owned his own plot of land.

Question 11

How successful were Stolypin’s land reforms?

Answer 11

Positives:
- 3.5m peasants moved to Siberia, which became a major agricultural region
- Russia became the world’s leading cereal exporter
- Grain production rose from 56m tons in 1900 to 90m in 1914

Negatives:
- By 1914, only 10% of land had been transferred to private ownership.
- Less than 1% actually achieved kulak status. Many had to leave their farms and look for seasonal farming work, or move to the cities.