Quotes, Stats and Question - Weakness of Russia (Demographic, Geographic, Industrial)

"Russia is not..."

"Russia is not a state, but a world." - Proverb

"With many nationalities...

"With many nationalities, many languages... the marvel is that the country can be held together even by autocratic means."
- Sergei Witte

Weakness of the Russia is its diversity

"Russification meant that..."

"Russification meant that nationalism became a potentially explosive cause of conflict between the government and its people." - Ryan, et. el

_ Different religions
_ Different languages
_% of Russians are of Orthodox religion

40 different religions
14 different languages (four in ten people spoke Russian)
69% people are of Orthodox religion

(Data is allegedly inflated to maintain Russian nationalism)

By 1900, _ of peasants produced just enough to feed themselves

50%

"Many lived.."

"Many lived on the brink of starvation." Ryan, et. a;

Peasants made up _ of the social pop

82% illiterate peasants

Russia has __ time zones, __ vegetation zones and spans across __ contientns

Eleven time zones
Five vegetation zones
Spans two continents

- The vastness of Russia makes it hard to unify
- Makes military defence and communication hard

"Land in Russia..."

"Land in Russia was a source of national weakness rather than strength." - Micheal Lynch

Who supported the Industrailisation of Russia?

Russian P.M Sergei Witte

Percentage of growht of in national product between 1898-1913 is

98.8%

How did he do it?

Encouraged inflow of foreign capital, investment in industry and negotiating large loans and investments from abord

This led to increase of iron, steel, coal and cotton

What are the effects of industralisation?

- Poor work conditions (12, 16 work hours), overcrowded factories and cities, heavy taxes on industries and individuals

"No ventilation at all..."

"No ventilation at all... moving around these machines is extremely hazardous." - Russian Factory Inspector (1800s)

Highlights the horrible working conditions

The Population of St Petersburg went from 1881 with a pop of _ to a pop of _ in 1900

The population of Moscow went from _ in 1881 to _ in 1900

St Petersburg went from 928,000 to 1,439,600

Moscow went from 753,500 to 1,345,000

Was the improvement of the Russian economy really from Witte's contribution?

Not really, it was part of a worldwide boom

- By 1900, the spurt ended and an international recession set in

What did the recession cause?

- Reduced wages, angry workers.

(Number of Industrial strikes that were supposed by military forces went from 19 in 1893 to 522 in 1903, people were not happy)

Why were high ranks in the military a weakness?

Because they were reserved for only aristocracy and nobles, who didn't have military training and sucked at planning attacks (like the Russo-Japanese war)