13 March 1915(1915-03-13) (aged 65) Petrograd, Russian Empire
Cause of death
Brain tumor
Resting place
Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality
Russian
Alma mater
Novorossiysk University
Signature
Count Sergei Yulyevich Witte (Russian: Сергей Юльевич Витте, romanized: Sergey Yulyevich Vitte, IPA:[sʲɪrˈɡʲejˈjʉlʲjɪvʲɪtɕˈvʲitːɛ];[1] 29 June [O.S. 17 June] 1849 – 13 March [O.S. 28 February] 1915), also known as Sergius Witte, was a Russian statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Russian Empire, replacing the emperor as head of government. Neither liberal nor conservative, he attracted foreign capital to boost Russia's industrialization. Witte's strategy was to avoid the danger of wars.[2]
Witte served under the final two emperors of Russia, Alexander III (r. 1881–1894) and Nicholas II (r. 1894–1917).[3] During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), he had risen to a position in which he controlled all the traffic passing to the front along the lines of the Odessa Railways. As finance minister from 1892- 1903, Witte presided over extensive industrialization and achieved government monopoly control over an expanded system of railroad lines.
Following months of civil unrest and outbreaks of violence in what became known as the 1905 Russian Revolution, Witte framed the 17th the October Manifesto and the accompanying government communication to establish constitutional government. However, he was not convinced it would solve Russia's problems with the Tsarist autocracy. On 20 October 1905 Witte was appointed as the first chairman of the Council of Ministers (effectively prime minister). Assisted by his Council, he designed Russia's first constitution. But within a few months Witte fell into disgrace as a reformer because of continuing court opposition to these changes. He resigned before the First Duma assembled on 10 May [O.S. 27 April] 1906. Witte was fully confident that he had resolved the main problem: providing political stability to the regime,[citation needed] but according to him, the "peasant problem" would further determine the character of the Duma's activity.[4]
He is widely considered to have been one of the key figures in Russian politics at the end of 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century.[5] Orlando Figes has described Witte as the 'great reforming finance minister of the 1890s',[6] 'one of Nicholas's most enlightened ministers',[7] and as the architect of Russia's new parliamentary order in 1905.[8]
^F.L. Ageenko and M.V. Zarva, Slovar' udarenii (Moscow: Russkii yazyk, 1984), p. 547.
^Towards the Flame: Empire, War and the End of Tsarist Russia by Dominic Lieven
^Harcave, Sidney. (2004). Count Sergei Witte and the Twilight of Imperial Russia: A Biography, p. xiii.
^Witte's Memoirs, p. 359.
^The Cambridge History of Russia: Volume 2, Imperial Russia, 1689-1917, p. 56, 468
served in one of the three Assistant Minister of Finance positions under SergeiWitte. After resigning from the position, he served as Imperial Secretary until...
the economic and political reforms promoted by his prime ministers, SergeiWitte and Pyotr Stolypin. He advocated modernisation based on foreign loans...
variety of sectors of society of the need for reform. Politicians such as SergeiWitte had succeeded in partially industrializing Russia but failed to adequately...
officially became a fully-fledged head of government. Nicholas appointed Graf SergeiWitte as his first "prime minister". From 1905 the prime minister received...
Tsar Nicholas II (1868–1918, ruled 1894–1917), under the influence of SergeiWitte (1849–1915), on 30 October [O.S. 17 October] 1905 as a response to the...
appointment of railway manager and future Prime Minister of the Russian Empire SergeiWitte as the Director of State Railways. The imperial family was en route from...
Russia between 1901 and 1903 during the tenure of Minister of Finance SergeiWitte. The reforms aimed to transform the traditional obshchina form of Russian...
ensemble cast includes Tom Baker as Grigori Rasputin, Laurence Olivier as SergeiWitte, Brian Cox as Leon Trotsky, Ian Holm as Vasily Yakovlev, and Vivian Pickles...
second session of the Council of Ministers for six more months; Count SergeiWitte participated on both entities until the abolition of the committee on...
opposition to the program, he left the position in 1899. In April 1906, SergeiWitte, a reformist, was succeeded by Goremykin. In the Russian Constitution...
Takahira Kogorō. The Russian delegation was led by former Finance Minister SergeiWitte, who was assisted by the former Ambassador to Japan Roman Rosen and the...
(1789–1860), was a Russian noblewoman who was the grandmother of both SergeiWitte and Madame Blavatsky. Helene was the daughter of Prince Paul Vassilyevich...
Ivanovich Rossi, Prince Garsevan Chavchavadze, a Georgian aristocrat; SergeiWitte, and other famous Russians are preserved. During the Revolution, Kollontai...
Witte (born 1984), German field hockey player Russ Witte (1916–2016), American swimmer SergeiWitte (1849–1915), Russian policy-maker Terry L. Witte (born...
felt that it undermined their authority). The Prime Minister, Count SergeiWitte, backed the objections, but was unable to close down the experiment because...
perishing from starvation. Vyshnegradsky was succeeded by Count SergeiWitte in 1892. Witte began by raising revenues through a monopoly on alcohol, which...
maint: location missing publisher (link) Harcave, Sidney (2004). Count SergeiWitte and the twilight of imperial Russia : a biography. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E...
Under the pressure of the Russian Revolution of 1905, on 6 August 1905, SergeiWitte issued a manifesto about the convocation of the Duma, initially thought...
river. The absent-minded Goremykin had been described by his predecessor SergeiWitte as a bureaucratic nonentity. After two months, Dmitri Feodorovich Trepov...
from the treasury.[citation needed] On June 6, 1894, Finance Minister SergeiWitte initiated reform of the State Bank with the adoption of a new charter...
Council and What a Freedom!, over forty portrait studies, and portraits of SergeiWitte and Vyacheslav von Plehve. In 1904 he gave a speech at a memorial gathering...
Coup of June 1907, is noted by Michael Karpovich to be very critical of SergeiWitte, Vyacheslav von Plehve & the Russification of Finland, while being favorable...
to his Memoirs SergeiWitte did not force the Tsar to sign this Manifesto; moreover he states nobody knew who wrote the Manifesto. Witte suggests a member...
powerful Russian Finance Minister SergeiWitte had larger visions for the region than just a military garrison. Witte was overseeing the development of...
responsible to it. They were generally allied with the governments of SergeiWitte in 1905-1906 and Pyotr Stolypin in 1906–1911, but they criticised the...
seems untrustworthy and is rumoured to use agents provocateur. Both SergeiWitte and Empress Alexandra also have grave concerns about him and his methods...
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