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Anniversary of Sergey Witte - the first Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire
On June 17 (29), 1849 in Tiflis in a family of a major official was born Sergey Yulievich Witte, count, Russian statesman, Minister of Finance, the first chairman of the Council of Ministers, honorable member of St. Petersburg Academy of Science. S. Yu. Witte initiated the introduction of wine monopoly, a program of currency reform, Trans-Siberian railroad construction. He was also the author of the Manifest of October 17 (30), 1905.
In 1870, having graduated from Physics and Mathematics Department of Novorossiysk University in Odessa, Witte was assigned to head the train service at Odessa railway. Later, for about 20 years, he had been working in private railway societies. The long-term service had formed Witte as financier and state official. The edition ‘Principles of railway tariffs for freight transportation’ issued in 1883 made him well-known in financial circles. In 1889 Witte was appointed the Director of Railway Department under the Ministry of Finance; in February 1892 – the Head of the Ministry of Communication lines; in August of 1892 – the Minister of Finance.
In 1894 Wittee initiated the imposition of wine monopoly and increased the rates and scale of railway construction. In 1897 the currency reform was implemented. According to the reform the circulation of gold was introduced and a free exchange of rubles for gold established. Witte had been carrying out a policy of speeding up economic development. In order to achieve it, he was working on foreign capital formation in industry, banks and state borrowing. In 1894 and 1904 customs agreements with Germany were concluded.
In the field of domestic policy Witte hold conservative opinion and aspired for autocracy consolidation. In particular, he disputed the expansion of authorities of Zemstvo institutions. More to this, he was the initiator and the first chairman of the Special meeting on agriculture industry needs. The program of agrarian reforms of the meeting stipulated the points which were later borrowed by P. A. Stolypin.
In August of 1903 S. Yu. Witte resigned the post of Minister of Finance and was appointed for the post of Committee of Ministers’ President. After the defeat in Russo-Japanese war of 1904-1905 he led the delegation which signed the Treaty of Portsmouth with Japan, for which he was given the title of count. From October 1905 to April 1906 S. Yu. Witte had been at the head of the Council of Ministers. During the October political strike of 1905 the count insisted that the emperor agreed for the program of reforms and elaborated the project of Manifesto of October 17 (30), 1905. Sergey Yulievich was the supporter of severe suppression of armed protest actions against the power, but for the majority of nobles and ruling bureaucracy his figure seemed too liberal. In April of 1906 Nikolas II accepted the retirement of S. Yu. Witte from the post of the Chairman of Council of Ministers. Still being a member of the State Council, count had also been participating in the work of the Committee of Finance which he presided until his last days.
In 1907-1912 S. Yu. Witte had written ‘Memoires’ which are of a great interest for description of the Russian government policy.
Sergey Witte died on February 28 (March 13), 1915 in his mansion on Kamennoostrovsky prospect in St. Petersburg.
Lit.: Ананьич Б. В., Ганелин Р. Ш. Опыт критики мемуаров С.Ю.Витте (в связи с его публицистической деятельностью в 1907-1915 гг.) // Вопросы историографии и источниковедения истории СССР. М.; Л., 1963. С. 298-374; То же [Электронный ресурс]. URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/biblio/vitte/memcrit.ssi#source; Ананьич Б. В., Ганелин Р. Ш. С. Ю. Витте — мемуарист. СПб., 1994; Игнатьев А. В. С. Ю. Витте — дипломат. М., 1989; Клейнов Г. Граф С. Ю. Витте. СПб., 1906; Корелин А., Степанов С. С. Ю. Витте — финансист, политик. Дипломат. М., 1998; Миндлин А. Б. Политика С. Ю. Витте по «еврейскому вопросу» // Вопросы истории. 2004. № 4; Сергей Юльевич Витте (1849-1915) [Электронный ресурс] // Отделение ГПНТБ СО РАН. 1997-2013. URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/biblio/vitte/refer2.ssi; Сидоров А. Л. Витте Сергей Юльевич // Большая советская энциклопедия. Т. 5. М., 1971: [Электронный ресурс]. URL: https://biblioclub.ru/index.php?page=dict&termin=683059; Степанов С. А. С. Ю . Витте (исторический портрет) // Международный исторический журнал. № 3 (май-июнь). 1999; Тарле Е. В. Граф С. Ю. Витте. Опыт характеристики внешней политики // Сочинения в 12 тт. М., 1958. С. 509-566.
Works: Воспоминания. Детство. Царствование Александра II и Александра III – (1849-1894). Берлин Изд. Слово, 1923; То же [Электронный ресурс] URL: http://www.hrono.ru/libris/lib_we/vitte00.html; Воспоминания. Т. 2. Таллин; М., 1994; Вынужденные разъяснения по поводу отчёта ген.-ад. Куропаткина о войне с Японией. М., 1911; Записка по крестьянскому делу. СПб., 1904; Конспект лекций о народном и государственном хозяйстве, читанных его императорскому высочеству великому князю Михаилу Александровичу в 1900—1902 гг. СПб., 1912; Национальная экономика и Фридрих Лист. Киев, 1889; О ледоколе «Ермак» и намерении установить морской путь на Дальний Восток по Северному побережью Сибири // Избранные воспоминания, 1849-1911 гг. М., 1991. С. 657-659; То же [Электронный ресурс] URL: http://www.prometeus.nsc.ru/biblio/vitte/ermak.ssi; Принципы железнодорожных тарифов по перевозке грузов. Киев, 1883; Речь министра финансов в заседании Совета государственных кредитных установлений, 21 декабря 1892 года // Правительственный Вестник. 1893. № 7; Самодержавие и земство. Stuttgart, 1901.
From the Presidential library materials:
Булла К. К. Карикатура на С. Ю. Витте и П. Н. Дурново [Изоматериал] : [фотография]. 1905;
Булла К. К. Портрет государственного деятеля С. Ю. Витте [Изоматериал] : [фотография]. 1913;
Булла К. К. Портрет министра финансов С. Ю. Витте [Изоматериал] : [фотография]. 1892;
Булла К. К. Портрет министра финансов С. Ю. Витте [Изоматериал] : [фотография]. 1903;
Струве П. Б. Граф С. Ю. Витте: опыт характеристики. М., 1915.