Nicholas II - Economy

Question 1

Industrial transformation:

Answer 1

-major change under witte, 8% per year 1894-1913
-coal output from 183 million puds to 671 million,
-foreign investment at 2 billion roubles by 1914
-new rouble introduced backed by gold in january 1897
-state controlled 70% of railway, holdings in heavy industry

Question 2

Railway expansion:

Answer 2

-1905 59,616km of railway, 66% state owned
-helped to allow exploitation of raw materials
-linked grain growing areas to the black sea ports
-helped develop iron and coal industries
-gov made money from passengers and freight charges
- second largest railway in world by 1913 at 62,200km
-trans siberian railway key, 7000km track connected russia to the pacific, opened western siberia for farming

Question 3

Heavy Industry:

Answer 3

-donbas region supplied 87% of russias coal by 1913
-krivoi rog in ukraine produced 74% of russian pig iron
-caspian sea port in baku grew oil production from 153 million (1885) to 570 million puds (1913)
-2.6 million factory workers by 1908, double that of 1887
-pig iron and crude oil production tripled 1890-1910
-between 1908-13 industrial growth rate of 8.5%

Question 4

Developments in agriculture:

Answer 4

-pre 1906 most farming small scale,
-average holding fell from 35 acres (1877) to 28 by 1905
-traditional farming methods continued
-kulaks had farmed more efficiently and bought out land, stolypin aimed to increase their numbers

Question 5

Stolypin’s land reforms:

Answer 5

-1903, gave responsibility to pay taxes to peasants
-sep 1906, more state and crown land available for peasants to buy, encouraged to move to siberia
-nov 1906, peasants given the right to leave the commune,can combine strips of land into one area,
-nov 1906 peasants land bank established
-jan 1907, redemption payments abolished
-june 1910, communes which hadn’t redistributed land since 1861 abolished

Question 6

The effect of stolypins reforms:

Answer 6

-needed 20 years of peace to be fully impactful
-hereditary ownership of land by peasants went from 20% (1905) to 50% by 1915
-grain production 56 million tons to 90 million, 1900-14
-3.5 million peasants to siberia, major agricultural region
- only 10% land transferred communal to private by 1914
- 90% of peasants holdings still strip farming by 1914
- fewer than 1% achieved kulak status

Question 7

Wartime industry

Answer 7

-war spending 1500 mil 1914 to 14,500 mil 1918
-workforce affected, women + children took on work
-production slumped, lost capacity in poland
-rifle production 2x, heavy artillery production 4x

Question 8

Wartime agriculture

Answer 8

-those with surplus grain could sell to military, prices low and tools/equipment in short supply
-some hoarded grain, starving townspeople
-grain unable to reach towns due to lack of trains