Pobedonostsev and Witte

Question 1

What were Pobedonostsev’s three main principles in which he educated young Tsar Nicholas II?

Answer 1

Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationalism

Question 2

What was Pobedonostsev’s nickname and why?

Answer 2

“The Grand Inquisitor” - because of his repressive attitudes

Question 3

How did Pobedonostsev influence Nicholas’s first public statement as Tsar in 1895?

Answer 3

He convinced him to reject any form of representative government

Question 4

What did Pobedonostsev think the role of the Church should be?

Answer 4

The Church should be a servant and weapon of the state in order to stabilise society.

Question 5

What was Pobedonostsev’s view on education?

Answer 5

Opposed compulsory primary education. Education for the “enlightened minority” only, in foreign languages, literature, Russian history and geography.

Question 6

What was the primary aim of Witte’s “Great Spurt”?

Answer 6

To protect the autocracy

Question 7

Name three countries from where Witte invited experts and workers to advise on industrial planning

Answer 7

Any three from:
Belgium
Britain
France
Germany
Sweden

Question 8

How much of investment within Russia between 1897 and 1901 was financed with funds from abroad?

Answer 8

One-fifth

Question 9

What impact did Witte’s vodka monopoly have on the economy?

Answer 9

Increased state revenue from the sale of vodka by 25%.

By 1913, the vodka monopoly comprised 26% of government income.

Question 10

What happened to coal and iron/steel production under Witte between 1890 and 1905?

Answer 10

Coal production doubled

Iron/steel production increased sevenfold

Question 11

Which country did Russia overtake in 1900 to become the fourth largest iron producer in the world?

Answer 11

France

Question 12

What evidence suggests that Russia’s increase in iron production was not that significant?

Answer 12

Iron production remained at around 1/3 of German levels and 1/5 of American levels

Question 13

What happened to the Russian rouble in 1897 and why was this important?

Answer 13

It was placed on the gold standard. This made international investment in Russia more stable

Question 14

What happened to income from industry in Russia between 1893 and 1897?

Answer 14

Increased: from 42 million roubles in 1893, to 161 million roubles by 1897

Question 15

How much rail was built in Russia in 1891, the year before Witte became Minister of Finance?

Answer 15

127km

Question 16

How much railway did Russia have in:
1881
1900
1914

Answer 16

1881: 21,230 km
1900: 53,230 km
1914: 70,160 km

Question 17

Why was the Trans-Siberian Railway NOT a success?

Answer 17

Did not encourage workers to migrate.

Sections of the railway were still incomplete by 1916.

Question 18

Give an example of Russia building railways to serve foreign interests rather than their own

Answer 18

1900: Russia agreed to build a line from Orenburg to Tashkent (on the Afghan border), so that France could put pressure on British interests in India if required

Question 19

What proportion of the tax revenue was made up of indirect taxation (tax on items) by 1900?

Answer 19

Five-sixths

Question 20

How far did the tax burden increase on Russian citizens between 1893 and 1902? (How far did the population increase by comparison?)

Answer 20

Tax burden increased by 49%.

Population increased by 13%.

Question 21

What impact did the vodka monopoly have on the peasant economy?

Answer 21

Peasant taverns saw a decrease in revenue - weakened local economies

Question 22

How many tractors cultivated Russian fields in 1911? (How many in the USA by comparison?)

Answer 22

166 in Russia (14,000 in the USA)

Question 23

Explain why foreign loans limited the impact of Witte’s Great Spurt

Answer 23

They could be recalled at any time. Russia’s foreign debt was the largest of any government in the world by 1903, so the investment was precarious.

Question 24

Why were industrial workers opposed to urbanisation?

Answer 24

It led to poor housing, a lack of sanitation, and inadequate water supplies leading to cholera