Economy and society: Nicholas II Flashcards
Explain the role of Sergei witte
Finance minister 1894-1903, his policies were designed to modernize Russian industry and he was the first finance minster to put industrialization at the center of his policies.
List three of Witte’s major policies
- Allowing foreign investors and expertise into Russia. 2. Taking out foreign loans, raising taxes and interest rates. 3. State investment in large scale industry such as railways.
What did Witte do in 1897?
He put the rouble on the gold standard, this increased foreign confidence in the stability of the rouble.
What was the role of railways in the great spurt?
The construction of the trans Siberian line was crucial to stolypin’s polices, it allowed travel from western cities to to Vladivostok, it stimulated other industries and linked industrial areas.
Give three statistics to illustrate the great spurt
- Industrial growth was at 7.5% per year. 2. Cola production doubled and iron production increased 7 fold. 3. Railway mileage increased from 17,000 in 1891 to 31,000 in 1901.
Give three criticisms of Witte’s policies
- He neglected industries such as engineering and textiles and ignored agriculture. 2. Reliance on foreign loans was dangerous as they could be recalled at short notice. 3. Railway expansion was rushed, even so, by 1914 Russia still had 11x fewer miles of track then Germany
What were three social impacts of industrialization?
- A middle class and proletariat developed in Russia, this would have profound policitcal consequences. 2. Workers moved in droves from the country to the cities, yet the facilities to house them did not exist, there was overcrowding and dis ie as, leading to discontent.3. Many new industrial workers became attracted to revolutionary groups and ideas, especially those of Marx.
What happened to the Russian economy during WW1?
It could not cope with the demands of the war, industry struggled, taxes were increased and the gold standard abandoned. Inflation was rife and the price of food and fuel quadrupled.
What was the Russian economy like when WWI broke out?
Coal production was 10% of Britain’s and the GNP was 20% of Britain’s. There was a lack of modern technology and equipment and most were still employed in small scale handicrafts.
What happened in agriculture 1905-07?
Peasants rose up over land redistribution, they destroyed crops and broke equipment, this led to Stolypin introducing a spate of reforms in 1907.
What did Stolypin’s agricultural reforms entail?
- Unused land was made available to the peasants through the land bank. 2. Peasants were able to consolidate their strips of land into small holdings.
How did Stolypin’s reforms fail?
- More peasants became wealthy, but this did not mean that they supported the tsar and many were unsatisfied with the reforms. 2. By 1914, 2million had left the village communes, leading to a shortage of labor which would be made worse by the war.
Give two educational reforms
- By 1914, the number of primary school children had risen from 23,000 in 1880 to 81,000. 2. The zemstva planned for universal primary education to be delivered by 1922 and by 1914, 51% of the primary aged population were in school.
What educational reforms did Stolypin introduce?
He doubled the number of schools during his term as PM and doubled government spending on agriculture he was ruthless with his opponents, with over 3,000 being executed for political offenses.
Give three points to illustrate the poor living conditions
- Owing to harsh lives, by 1910, 93% of St. Petersburg workers had developed alcoholism before age 17. 2. 1/2 of all city housing was made from wood, so was prone to fire damage. 3. Of Russia’s 1000 towns, only 200 had piped water and 38 had sewage systems.
