How Successful Were The Russian Governments In Promoting Economic Change And Modernisation Between 1881 and 1904? When Alexander III came into power, he made sure that industrialization was at the forefront of his plans. So under Vyshnedgradsky and Witte, various measures were imposed to help kick start industrialization, which led to significant economic change The improved transport system, which resulted from government investment in infrastructure like the railways, helped to vastly improve Russia’s economic situation. This is evident through the clear positive correlation between railway improvements and increases in Russia’s industrial output. The length of railway tracks in Russia increased form 31219 miles in 1891 to 58392 miles by 1904.
Witte believed the only way to modernise Russia and play catch-up with the West was through State Capitalism (control of the economy by the government). The country needed to raise capital for investment in industry, which he did in several interlinking ways: large foreign loans which brought money into the country; heavy tax and interest rates in Russia which brought more money for the government. While bringing money into the country, Witte protected the small developing industries of Russia by limiting imports (but risked other countries doing the same to Russian goods in retaliation) In 1897, he put Russian currency on Gold Standard. This created financial stability and in turn encouraged huge foreign investment in Russia. Conversely, the higher-value rouble helped increase the prices of goods.
How far do you agree that Sergei Witte’s policies were successful in modernising the Russian economy in 1892-1904? During Tsar Nicholas II’s reign, he decided he needed someone to improve the Russian economy, so he appointed a Financial Minister; Sergei Witte. Witte introduced a number of reforms that both improved and further damaged Russia’s economy, and believed that the only way Russia could modernise itself and catch up with the more industrialised West was through State Capitalism. Witte was very enthusiastic about the expansion on the Trans-Siberian railway, which, when completed, stretched across Russia from St. Petersburg in the West to Vladivostok in the Far East. Witte believed that the construction of this railway was crucial to the economic growth of Russia, because it would make it possible to take advantage of the economic potential of Siberia.
In the late 19th century, Russia began its process of industrialization following its defeat at the hands of Western nations in the Crimean War. Russia's Industrial Revolution was further helped along by its growing population and an increasing labor force. As the industrial process continued, it gave new job opportunities such as: in mining, factory work, and railroad construction. This influx of jobs was taken by an influx of people, where it came from the country to work in the cities as cheap laborers, taking up dangerous and low-paying jobs. In spite of all these changing times and circumstances, the tension between the upper and lower classes remained tenser than ever before, building up under the fabric of society.
One of them being that big businesses dominated the American economy, due to the chance of vertical integration. Andrew Carnegie for example dominated the US steel industry and owned everything from the steel mines to the factories producing them. This is called vertical integration. By this the iron and steel production in the US increased from 0 to 35,000 in measures of 1000 tons between 1875 to 1915. Due to businesses like these integrating vertically big businesses were made easier to grow.
.” (Document 9) As shown by charts illustrating both industrial and agricultural growth (Document s 2, 3, 6), Stalin’s economic venues helped Russia to become a modern industrial society and let to Russia’s rise to a world power. Also the focus on heavy industry made to help increase the grandeur of the state. Under a command economy, in which the government controls all decisions made concerning the economy and personal lives, Russia with no doubt grew strong. Stalin said “To slow down would mean falling behind. And those who fall behind are beaten.
In addition, World War II introduced change through industrialisation, which was key to Russia’s success in the war. These key reforming leaders and other factors of change saw Russia grow from a very deprived country in 1856 to an industrial superpower in 1964. Alexander II became known as ‘Alexander the Great Reformer’ and ‘the Tsar Liberator’ which suggests that his work and reforms changed the nature of Russian government and society to a large extent. The emancipation of the Serfs in 1861 initially appeared to have major benefits for the serfs. As Alexander II said: “We vowed in our hearts to fulfil the mission which is entrusted to Us and to surround with Our affection and Our Imperial solicitude all Our faithful subjects of every rank and condition”2.
In 1928, Joseph Stalin became one of the world’s most contentious leaders. During the period that Stalin was in control of mother Russia, he transformed the Soviet Union into a modern super power. He used certain methods to change Russia. He did this by modernizing the Russian economy with his Five Year Plans. He also increased industrial and agricultural production with his policy of collectivization.
‘To what extent did Russia undergo economic and political reform in the years 1906-1914?’ To some extent, Russia went through both political and economic reform in the years 1906-1914. 1906 saw the definite end of the 1905 revolution, and Peter Stolypin was mainly responsible for securing the position of Tsardom. He used both reforming and reactionary methods to achieve his goal, although any form of change was halted by the start of World War 1 in 1914. The first way in which Russia had moved towards economic reform in the years 1906-1914 is through Stolypin’s policies to improve agriculture and to create a wealthier class of peasants known as Kulaks. It is apparent that he achieved this as 50% of peasants owned their own land by 1915 due to the introduction of the Peasant Land Bank on 15th November 1906.
During the Nineteenth and Twentieth century the impressive leap in terms of industrialisation throughout Western Europe had moved the world forward, However Russia “could not generate enough capital to support rapid industrial development or to compete with advanced countries.” Russia’s incredibly diverse and expansive land made it very hard for Russian people to collaborate, as well as having difficulties with utilising Russia’s resources. This led to Russia being almost 100 years less industrially developed in the early Twentieth century The Russia that can be considered as Modern Russia would be that of the 1960s. There were massive changes to how Russia was viewed by the mid-20th century, such as it being a huge economic superpower, the high tension between America and the USSR resulting in the cold war, and the development of Nuclear weapons such as RDS-1 and ‘layer cake’: Russia’s hydrogen bomb. This means that the turning points should be judged by which moved Russia more towards the modern Russia they were known as in the 60s. Smitha talks of how “Russia fought the Crimean War with the largest standing army in Europe.” This being said, having the biggest army