In this course, Peter Kenez, Professor Emeritus at UC Santa Cruz, explains the events of modern Russian history and introduces its most significant actors—from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin.
The Industrial Revolution
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Do curso por University of California, Santa Cruz
Russian History: from Lenin to Putin
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The 9th Century to the 1920s
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Peter KenezProfessor Emeritus
History
[MUSIC]
Industrialization, in the last decade of
the century was extremely remarkably successful.
Witte, with whose name we associate this great
industrialization spurt, argued in a very conservative court
which is afraid of the consequences of industrialization.
Witte argued that Russia needed to industrialize to remain a great power.
In order for us to have an army we have to be able to compete
in terms of we'll be rising in terms of moving an armies
around and it was this sense of what we might call
conservative modernization which convinced the relevant people.
And indeed what was happening that Witte carried out a policy of
heavily taxing the peasantry, and thereby forcing the peasantry
to sell their product Which then could be sold abroad and
the Russia would accumulate a positive balance of trade.
Setting high tariffs, again for
the same reason, to have a positive balance of trade.
And, as a consequence, Witte, who was Minister of Finances
was able to put Russia on the gold standard.
And the gold standard meant that various foreign
capitalist entrepreneurs regarded Russia is a very safe investment.
And foreign capital came into Russia
in a very impressive fashion, which, by the way,
would have the consequence that after the Russian Revolution, the French who lend so
much money to the Russians were very much concerned about getting it back.
>> And therefore took a more hostile stance
to the Soviet State than they otherwise might have.
But what was happening is that Witte, the policies which
Witte introduced of resulted in building railroads,
building large factories, steel and iron,
that is the first stages, the early stages of Russian industrialization.
But it's very much comparable to
what would happen a few decades later in Soviet industrialization, which also
favored heavy industry as opposed to consumer good for obvious reasons.
And indeed the achievements of the rail road map work
which was created during the Witte years.
The building of the trans-Siberian rail road major, major undertaking
would have very positive consequences in the Soviet era.
Because the Russians did not have to start out the way, let's say,
the Chinese and the Indians started out.
However, the conservatism of the court was a handicap.
Handicap, that is in the development of successful industrialization.
The most notable aspect
is that the Tsarist Court was afraid of the power of education.
And here, the comparison which is often directly made, is with Japan.
Because the Japanese industrialization, the Japanese modernization took place
at the same time and Japan was much more successful.
And that is at least partially can be explained
by the spread of literacy in Japan.
As against of in the case of Russia where this did not happened.
The point is that whatever social tension there was in Russia,
and indeed there was as it became evident in 94 and
95 was the consequence of the dynamism
of Russian society, rather than it's backwardness.
It was the consequence of industrialization.
It was the consequence of industrialization,
it was the consequence of the beginning of the creation of an industrial proletariat.
A proletariat, which was very different from Contemporary German, French,
British proletariat in as much as they had so close connection with the countryside.
They were badly away from the countryside.
The man came into the cities to work leaving families behind and
periodically return.
That is they did not have the education,
the ability to organize which European
working classes by this time, by the turn of the century were able to have.
But nonetheless, they were very miserable.
And when Russia embarked in an unfortunate war which was
the consequence that the Russian court, the Russian ruling circles
regarded themselves as being part of the European civilization.
And the spirit of it was imperialism.
And Russia's expansion, Russia's future was to be in the west,
in the far east and Witte's building of the rail road had something
to do with it because ultimately that meant that the Russians
would be able to transport troops in the transarabian.
And this was the source that is a Russian role in the far East,
in Korea, in China, as against Japanese interests.
Which resulted in the war, which ended so disastrously for the Russians.
And the first Russian Revolution,
the Revolution of 1905 was the direct consequence of that
losing war which undermined the authority of the state.
And the revolution which was taking place, had three
constituent factors.
The working classes, which called for a strike, the peasantry,
which periodically occupied noble lands in the course of 1905 and 1906.
And the army, it was at the verge of mutiny and the reason that the revolution
did not succeed is because these three entities were not only not united,
they are the height of their activities to place a different in
time which enabled the tsarist court ultimately to prevail.
But it prevailed by giving concessions and thereby run over
the semi-liberal bureaucracy and nobility and
gentry, by giving concessions and the concessions were very significant.
For the first time, Russia had a parliament, the Russians called it a DUMA.
Now to be sure the elections to the DUMA to place on
the basis of estate suffering, estate suffrage.
Which meant that the handful of landlords had almost as
many, elected almost as many deputies than the mass majority
of Russians people of the presence.
And the workers elected fewer than 2% of the deputies.
But nonetheless, the consequence of the establishment of a parliament to
DUMA was that political parties could be and were formed,
and that meant that platforms could be offered.
And the Russian political spectrum became evident.
Came into existence from the extreme right which are on
occasion described as [FOREIGN] fascist.
That is, carrying of the pogroms against the Jews,
opposing the parliamentary system as such, to the extreme left.
And the extreme left, of course,
is something which will be very significant for
us what we are going to discuss when we come to the discussion of the revolution.
Russia was engaged in the struggle of the European powers as an equal.
And the spirit, and the thinking,
which we find in the Russian court, was very significant,
which we find in contemporary Europe.
And so consequently when the question of responsibility of the first World War.
They might have arises and
the discussion of that topic is so voluminous.
People really from the very end of the war
to our days are debating who was more responsible for that war.
Is perhaps a misconstrued in as much as it is striking
to what extent the people who are in position of power
influence in England, in Russia, in Germany.
Poses the same spirit and seem thinking and
consequently one might say were interchangeable.
That is obviously when the war came, nobody in the ruling circles of
any of these countries foresaw what kind of war they were embarking on.
Nobody wanted the kind of war which actually came about.
And Russia,
the Russian State was less able to mobilise
then the other European countries which ultimately resulted in the revolution.
But the significant question which historians discuss,
have discussed was Russian modernizing before the revolution.
And had the war not occurred that modernization,
just like in the case of Japan, might have been successful and
therefore the revolution wasn't unforeseen and unnecessary accident.
And Russia could have grown into modernity, this is not my opinion.
In my opinion, the Russian state,
inspite of the obvious
achievements of industrialization given the mentality of the ruling
circles was not such as to be able to modernize on its own.
And consequently, it seems to me, that the Russians stayed
because of the mentality of the ruling circles was such that it was not.
Are appropriate in our 20th century world.
And for me, the most striking example is
something which took place in January
1917, when the British ambassador,
Sir Buchanan, came to to see the czar.
And expressed concern, the ability of the Russian armies to resist the Germans
and said to the czar, Sire, in order to fight this war
successfully, you must regain the confidence of your people.
And the czar responded, sir, it is the people who must regain my confidence.
Now to me, this is a crucial sentence because it demonstrates
the inability of the tsarist court to understand the modern world.
[MUSIC]
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