Nicholas II 1894 1917 part 1 Problems faced

Nicholas II (1894 -1917) part 1

Problems faced by Nicholas II Need for modernization * Agrarian issues * Industrialization * Growing opposition Dangers of modernization * A growing and progressively educated workforce and middle class could call for greater reform. * Peasant problems could result in revolts. Key issue: how to get the political benefits of economic modernisation without making concessions to opposition calls for political change?

Agrarian issues * Inherited from Emancipation. * Low bread price policy meant a low income for farmers. * Repeated harvest failures (1891, 92, 98 and 1901) * Steady population growth in European Russia increases pressure upon peasant holdings. Results * Agrarian violence *Arrears ($$)in taxation and in redemption payments accumulate Government initatitves *Creation of a Land Bank to encourage the purchase of land appease the “land hunger” of the peasants. * Project for encouraging settlement in “virgin land” of the East (eg. Siberia) RESULTS: LIMITED • The Bank doesn’t solve the debt issue. • The settlement in the East project shows that 750000 peasants migrated to Siberia, but the peasant population in 1895 was of nearly 97 million

Industrialization – Sergei Witte Tariffs • To protect Russia’s industry Foreign Capital • So as not to anger foreign powers, they would invest in Russia instead of selling consumer goods. Gold standard for Russian currency • So as to reinforce international confidence

Assessment of Witte’s reforms Successes Rapid increase in foreign investment: from c. 200 million roubles in 1890 to 900 million in 1900. This contributed to the development of heavy industries. Impressive advances in industrial output, esp. in heavy industry - i. e. overall output increased by 400% between 1890 and 1910, with coal, iron and steel production increasing accordingly. Particular focus on development of railways, which Witte saw as a way of improving communications and stimulating industrial demand for goods associated with railway building. Railway coverage expanded from c. 7, 000 km in 1890 to c. 60, 000 in 1905. Plus engineering feat of the Tran Siberian railway to connect with Vladivostok, stretching 9, 600 km. Limitations There may have been impressive advances in industry, but Russia was still far behind her European rivals. Similarly, while railways might have been increased, overall rail coverage was still minimal when compared with, i. e. , USA, and the Trans-Siberian was largely symbolic - only one track! Plus, other forms of communication lagged behind i. e. roads, and shipping. Dependency on foreign capital for industrialization meant that interest payments on the loan had to be made regularly - 20% of government spending annually om servicing this debt! Political opponents of Witte also accused him of being unpatriotic in his courting of foreign capitalists. Squeezing the peasants for grain and taxes led to starvation during bad harvest years (i. e. 1900 and 1902), and thus an increase in peasant uprisings. Furthermore, his focus on industry meant that he paid little immediate attention to the serious agricultural problems Russia was facing which affected the vast bulk of the population! Though only a small proportion of the population employed as industrial workers (c. 2% in 1900), these faced low wages, long hours and poor living conditions, protests at which led to calls for more political power for workers.

Opposition Russian Liberals • Octobrists (1905) • Kadets (1905) Social Revolutionaries • Second generation populists • Aim: land redistribution • Terrorist branch: “a party of action” Social Democrats (Marxists) • Limited scale • They reject the use of terror as counterproductive, and focus on propaganda and industrial agitation