Section 2: Chapter 8

Question 1

Who was Witte

Answer 1

Finance minister - 1892-1903

Question 2

Developments in business and industry under Witte

Answer 2

• railways trackage almost doubled
• coal output (southRussia) nearly quadrupled
• Foreign investment soared
• Industrial growth strongly state managed - skilled workers sought from overseas

Question 3

Developments in business and industry, (after Witte)

Answer 3

state still involved eco growth to 1914
- Early 20th century - state-controlled 70% railways
- 1903-13 - over 25% income from industrial investments
- capital used to fund: public works, develop infrastructure etc
- 1894-1913 - annual growth rate = 8%

Question 4

Railways

Answer 4

State bought smaller private railway companies + extended lines
- railway building programme:
- helped open up Russia interior
- caused fall in transport costs - reduced price of goods
- 1913 - 2nd largest railway network
- trans Siberian railway line - provided huge industrial stimulus

Question 5

Heavy industries - under witte

Answer 5

wanted to increase heavy good production
- concentrated production in key areas + developed large factories (over 1000 workers)
- 1914 - worlds 4th largest producer of coal, pig iron + steel and 5th largest industrial power
- oil produced tripled
- 2nd largest oil producer in world

Question 6

Agriculture until 1906

Answer 6

Rural econ- livelihood for 80-90%
However, largely ignored in favour of industrialisation
- most farming = small scale
- agri practices/ tools outdated + unproductive
- peasants tired to their local mir + taxed heavily

Question 7

The kulaks

Answer 7

Group of peasants that prospered since emancipation
- bought land + farmed more efficiently
- stolypin wanted to produced more kulaks - to win their loyalty + develop agriculture

Question 8

Stolypins land reforms

Answer 8

1906 - minister of internal affairs
- wanted peasants to own land
- more state/ crown land made available for peasants to buy
- peasants could leave the Mir
- ‘peasants land bank’ established to help fund land ownership
- redemption payments abolished

Question 9

Positive results for Stolypins land reforms

Answer 9

• larger farms developed
• grain production rose annually - 1909 = Russia worlds leading cereal exporter
• emigration incentives moved 3.5 mil peasants away from overpopulated Siberia - could develop into agri region

Question 10

Limitations of stolypins agricultural reforms

Answer 10

• changes in land tenure arrangements took long time to process
• by 1914 - 90% of peasant holdings still in traditional strips
• 1914 - 50% land still owned by nobility
  Fewer than 1% achieved kulak status