Russian Accelerated Industrialization

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Russian Accelerated Industrialization
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Definition

• 19th century
• Attempts made to make up for Russias lagging
  industrial capacity compared with western
  European nations

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Why so late?

• Still using medieval agricultural techniques
• No strong agricultural foundation no
  industrialization
• Late 19th c. legumes planted
• More cattle
• More cheese, milk, butter, fertilizer, etc.

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Need for Industrialization

• Activities by Japan and China
• Need for railroads to help with military and
  political coordination
• Economic development for a large country
• Further utilize the raw materials available
• Export grain to the west
• Open Siberia up for development

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How to industrialize?

• Sergei Wittes policies (expansionist)
• Conversion to the gold standard
• Heavy taxation on the peasantry
• Foreign loans and investments (GR, GB, FR)
• Accelerated development of heavy industry
• Build trans-Siberian railroad (finished in 1904)

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Trans-Siberian Route
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Results

• Modern factories develop in major cities in
  Russia and Poland
• Growing urban and working class
• High tariffs to protect new industries
• Russia becomes the 4th in the world of
  industrialized nations
• Class of industrialists emerge

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Consequences

• Debtor nation
• Russo-Japanese War 1904
• Russian Revolution 1905
• WWI/abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
• Total economic loss and drain on treasury