Sergei Witte Essay

As Russian Minister of Finance 1892-1903, Sergei Witte undertook a programme of rapid Industrialisation in an attempt to modernise Russia. Although a programme of this nature was not unprecedented, it had already occurred in Japan and Germany, it was still highly ambitious. He hoped to raise Russia to the standard of her enemies, fearing that if she did not modernise quickly, her army would be obsolete and she may cease to be a sovereign power . Witte’s reforms were, overall, quite simple but at the same time had remarkable effects. His system involved currency based on the gold standard, protective tariffs and government sponsorship of railroad construction. Although in Witte’s eyes his reforms failed, in the sense that he failed to maintain
My main obstacle is that I am restricted to material available in English. Though many biographies have been written about Witte, many are in Russian and thus this limited my selection. The three texts I have chosen, however, are written by three respected and skilled historians. Furthermore, they each take a different approach to their analysis of the period. Theodore Von Laue’s, Sergei Witte and the Industrialisation of Russia (1963) focuses very heavily upon the political turmoil of the period and its effect upon the economy. Furthermore, he devotes a large portion of his text to the analysis of statistics to present his argument. Sidney Harcave’s, Count Sergei Witte and the Twilight of Imperial Russia (2004) is a biography and focuses heavily upon Witte’s social life. Giving us insight into both Witte’s relations with fellow politicians but also a window into contemporary Russian society. Finally, Francis Wcislo’s Tales of Imperial Russia (2011) is another biography but, more than any other, gives us a deep insight into Witte’s life outside of politics. Devoting much of the text to Witte’s childhood and life before 1892, he provides the reader with a very clear picture of how the character of Sergei Witte came to