S.Y. Witte is a brilliant minister and daring schemer
One of the brightest historical personalities who participated in the political life of Russia at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries - Sergei Yulievich Witte. An amazing person who has made a brilliant career and achieved incredible results in the field of finance and management is rated differently by modern researchers.
17 (29) numbers in June 1849 year in the family of the Dutchman Julius Witte, who moved to the Baltic States, and Ekaterina Andreyevna Fadeeva, from a princely family of Dolgorukikh by their mother, had a son. The boy had many influential relatives, and he spent his childhood in the family of his maternal grandfather. Witte was brought up in the traditions of a noble family and from an early age became acquainted with the principles of monarchism. The grown-up Sergei was sent to the Tiflis gymnasium, but all his attention was occupied by music, fencing and horse riding. The boy was pugnacious, had a sharp character and a sharp tongue. As a result, the marks in the certificate of maturity were not the best, and the behavior of the young man was rated by teachers of one point.
Evaluation did not allow the young Witte to go to university. First, he continued his studies at the Odessa gymnasium, and then at the Kishinev gymnasium, which made it possible to obtain a certificate with good grades. In 1866, Sergey Yulievich finally enters the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Novorossiysk and graduates in 1870 with the degree of Candidate of Science. Witte assumed to continue to engage in scientific activities, but his relatives considered such a decision unreasonable and not in the interests of the noble family. Under the patronage of relatives, mainly the Minister of Railways Bobrinsky, who was a longtime acquaintance of Witte Sr., a young and talented man was hired by the governor’s office in Odessa, where he dealt with the issues of commercial operation of railways. Commerce attracted the young man, his ideas were in demand, and the emerging prospects captured a lively mind.
A capable administrator was soon noticed, and he moved to the AO South-Western Railways. At the new place of work, Witte quickly settled in and became close to his boss, Chikhachev. At the very beginning of Sergey Yul'evich’s successful career, a misfortune happened: in 1875, a train wreck (Tiligulsky catastrophe) occurred on the branch line in XNUMX, causing terrible human casualties. As a result, Chikhachev was tried, and a criminal case was initiated against Witte. However, the active administrator deserved the favor and favor of the emperor, having committed unprecedented arbitrariness in resolving issues relating to the shipment of goods for the Russian-Turkish war. The fact is that Witte voluntarily sent the cavalry to reach the destination, thereby freeing cars for equipment and weapons. The decision was so simple and effective that the punishment was replaced by a guardhouse, and it had to be served only formally. Sergey Yul'evich spent the night under arrest, and in the morning he returned to the service, since they could not do without him on the railway.
In the 1879 year, Witte was appointed to the post of head of the South-West Railway Division. Temperamental official was a favorite of almost all local popular actresses, up to his marriage to the daughter of the leader of the Chernihiv nobility. Marriage with N.A. Spiridonova is little covered by historians, we only know that Witte met her in the period of her marriage. However, the marriage by that time was formal, and Sergei Yulievich managed to get a divorce without undue attention from society.
Since the beginning of 1880, Witte has become one of the most highly paid specialists on the railway, his income is estimated at 50 thousand rubles per year. The young and active administrator appreciated the leadership, so his annual income was constantly rising.
It was during this period in the 1888 year that the fateful meeting with Alexander III occurred. According to contemporaries, the sovereign preferred great speed, and often such movement became dangerous for the imperial family and passengers. By order of Witte, the Alexander III Express was slowed down while driving on the South-Western Railway. Adjutants expressed their displeasure with such a decision, to which the manager boldly declared that it was not advisable to risk the head of the sovereign himself. The emperor heard these outrageous speeches and remembered them after a crash near Kharkov. Miraculously escaped, Alexander III ordered the inclusion of a bold manager in the commission to investigate the causes of the catastrophe.
The result of the examination showed that the crash occurred due to the high degree of wear on the car, which Witte had already indicated earlier. In addition, Sergei Yulievich has repeatedly noted the danger of speeding, based on the structure of the Russian railway, ballast and other technical characteristics. According to the results of work, Alexander III suggested that the manager switch to the public service, but he refused, pointing out the difference in the profitability of the posts. The proposed service was paid from the treasury for only eight thousand rubles a year, and also demanded moving from the south to the capital with its expensive lifestyle and harsh climate. Unheard of audacity - the refusal of the emperor, and this time played a positive role in the fate of a talented manager. The monarch undertook to pay Witte personally 8 thousand rubles a year and guaranteed that he would occupy the position only for a short time, and then he would be transferred to a higher position. An ambitious railwayman agreed.
Courage, determination, intelligence and talent made Witte a favorite of the emperor for a long time. It was not difficult for him to convince the monarch that he was right; he could express his opinion regardless of the attitude of other officials towards him. The young administrator with his harshness and wit caused discontent of a huge number of influential and noble people. They named a talented manager just as an upstart. One of Witte’s main opponents was von Plehve.
In 1892, Sergei Yulievich holds the post of Minister of Transport. Well acquainted with the problems of the railway, he develops a vigorous activity in this direction. His main merit in this position: the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the CER.
Witte proved himself not only in the professional field. The talented minister turned out to be a skilled intriguer and, by characterizing a Vyshnegradsky colleague mentally ill, contributed to his shift. Witte has been appointed to the post of Finance Minister since the beginning of 1893. Shortly before the appointment, the impudent minister starts a scandalous affair with a Jew, seeks her divorce and marries contrary to the opinion of secular society. Matilda Witte, so called the newly-born spouse, causes only indignation in the light that provokes her husband to a frank conversation with the sovereign. However, the situation changes after Alexander III approves of scandalous relations and even recognizes a bold act worthy of an honest man and a Christian.
As Minister of Finance, Sergey Yulievich reached the peak of his career. The emperor did not interfere in the activities of one of the best statesmen, despite the fact that his policy was sharply different from the traditional one. Witte preferred to appoint professional employees to posts and ignored the established procedure for replacing seats on the principle of proximity to the imperial court. Such a principle in personnel policy aroused indignation on the part of the courtiers, but the result was stunning. In the first year, the new minister eliminated the budget deficit. In the 1895 year, Witte set about introducing a wine monopoly, which contributed to the formation of a surplus, and already in 1898, he conducted a successful monetary reform.
In 1899, Nicholas II Witte is assigned the rank of a real Privy Counselor. In the same year, Sergei Yulievich takes part in the trial of his former acquaintance Mamontov. A little earlier, Witte himself was of the opinion close to the views of the convict. The society regarded such an act as a betrayal, and a well-established dislike for the minister by the elite played a significant role in this.
After the death of Alexander III who favored him, Witte gradually loses his influence at court. However, Nicholas II has long listened to the opinion of the Minister of Finance. In addition, Sergey Yulievich receives recognition on the world stage. The intrigues so characteristic of Witte’s nature, and the hate of light, lead him to retirement in 1903. Officially, this looked like a transfer to the new post of chairman of the committee of ministers. However, in fact, this post had no influence on state affairs.
However, in 1905, fate once again provided Witte with the opportunity to display his exceptional abilities. This time he acted as a diplomat. Due to the amazing ability to convince this man managed to do what the imperial army and dozens of generals could not achieve. Sergei Yulievich retained part of Sakhalin’s territory, while Japanese troops captured it all and demanded to transfer the occupied position completely. The merits of Witte were evaluated by the sovereign, and as a result, the former minister became a count. However, the secular wits nicknamed him Count Polusakhalinsky, although their sarcasm was completely inappropriate.
In 1906, there was an outcome of tensions with the emperor and influential advisers — Witte was dismissed. Deletion was extremely painful for this ambitious person; he repeatedly made various attempts to regain his former power. While retired, he wrote Memories and sent them abroad, fearing the seizure of his labor. After the death of meningitis in 1915, the authorities repeatedly attempted to find and destroy the work of Sergei Yulievich, but the “Memoirs” were nevertheless published abroad.
Contemporaries evaluate Witte ambiguously. If some people focus on his administrative talents, recall his merits in the field of public finances, foreign policy, others speak of the harshness, ambition and hypocrisy of this person. Contemporaries composed many caustic and caustic epigrams addressed to him, the work of, for example, Doroshevich deserves attention. However, it is impossible not to recognize the main thing - Witte was needed by the country in this difficult period. He was a man of surprising turn of mind, who brought great benefit to his state, made a brilliant career and deserves the respect and memory of his descendants. The public services of the minister do not justify him as a person, but it is impossible to ignore them.
17 (29) numbers in June 1849 year in the family of the Dutchman Julius Witte, who moved to the Baltic States, and Ekaterina Andreyevna Fadeeva, from a princely family of Dolgorukikh by their mother, had a son. The boy had many influential relatives, and he spent his childhood in the family of his maternal grandfather. Witte was brought up in the traditions of a noble family and from an early age became acquainted with the principles of monarchism. The grown-up Sergei was sent to the Tiflis gymnasium, but all his attention was occupied by music, fencing and horse riding. The boy was pugnacious, had a sharp character and a sharp tongue. As a result, the marks in the certificate of maturity were not the best, and the behavior of the young man was rated by teachers of one point.
Evaluation did not allow the young Witte to go to university. First, he continued his studies at the Odessa gymnasium, and then at the Kishinev gymnasium, which made it possible to obtain a certificate with good grades. In 1866, Sergey Yulievich finally enters the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Novorossiysk and graduates in 1870 with the degree of Candidate of Science. Witte assumed to continue to engage in scientific activities, but his relatives considered such a decision unreasonable and not in the interests of the noble family. Under the patronage of relatives, mainly the Minister of Railways Bobrinsky, who was a longtime acquaintance of Witte Sr., a young and talented man was hired by the governor’s office in Odessa, where he dealt with the issues of commercial operation of railways. Commerce attracted the young man, his ideas were in demand, and the emerging prospects captured a lively mind.
A capable administrator was soon noticed, and he moved to the AO South-Western Railways. At the new place of work, Witte quickly settled in and became close to his boss, Chikhachev. At the very beginning of Sergey Yul'evich’s successful career, a misfortune happened: in 1875, a train wreck (Tiligulsky catastrophe) occurred on the branch line in XNUMX, causing terrible human casualties. As a result, Chikhachev was tried, and a criminal case was initiated against Witte. However, the active administrator deserved the favor and favor of the emperor, having committed unprecedented arbitrariness in resolving issues relating to the shipment of goods for the Russian-Turkish war. The fact is that Witte voluntarily sent the cavalry to reach the destination, thereby freeing cars for equipment and weapons. The decision was so simple and effective that the punishment was replaced by a guardhouse, and it had to be served only formally. Sergey Yul'evich spent the night under arrest, and in the morning he returned to the service, since they could not do without him on the railway.
In the 1879 year, Witte was appointed to the post of head of the South-West Railway Division. Temperamental official was a favorite of almost all local popular actresses, up to his marriage to the daughter of the leader of the Chernihiv nobility. Marriage with N.A. Spiridonova is little covered by historians, we only know that Witte met her in the period of her marriage. However, the marriage by that time was formal, and Sergei Yulievich managed to get a divorce without undue attention from society.
Since the beginning of 1880, Witte has become one of the most highly paid specialists on the railway, his income is estimated at 50 thousand rubles per year. The young and active administrator appreciated the leadership, so his annual income was constantly rising.
It was during this period in the 1888 year that the fateful meeting with Alexander III occurred. According to contemporaries, the sovereign preferred great speed, and often such movement became dangerous for the imperial family and passengers. By order of Witte, the Alexander III Express was slowed down while driving on the South-Western Railway. Adjutants expressed their displeasure with such a decision, to which the manager boldly declared that it was not advisable to risk the head of the sovereign himself. The emperor heard these outrageous speeches and remembered them after a crash near Kharkov. Miraculously escaped, Alexander III ordered the inclusion of a bold manager in the commission to investigate the causes of the catastrophe.
The result of the examination showed that the crash occurred due to the high degree of wear on the car, which Witte had already indicated earlier. In addition, Sergei Yulievich has repeatedly noted the danger of speeding, based on the structure of the Russian railway, ballast and other technical characteristics. According to the results of work, Alexander III suggested that the manager switch to the public service, but he refused, pointing out the difference in the profitability of the posts. The proposed service was paid from the treasury for only eight thousand rubles a year, and also demanded moving from the south to the capital with its expensive lifestyle and harsh climate. Unheard of audacity - the refusal of the emperor, and this time played a positive role in the fate of a talented manager. The monarch undertook to pay Witte personally 8 thousand rubles a year and guaranteed that he would occupy the position only for a short time, and then he would be transferred to a higher position. An ambitious railwayman agreed.
Courage, determination, intelligence and talent made Witte a favorite of the emperor for a long time. It was not difficult for him to convince the monarch that he was right; he could express his opinion regardless of the attitude of other officials towards him. The young administrator with his harshness and wit caused discontent of a huge number of influential and noble people. They named a talented manager just as an upstart. One of Witte’s main opponents was von Plehve.
In 1892, Sergei Yulievich holds the post of Minister of Transport. Well acquainted with the problems of the railway, he develops a vigorous activity in this direction. His main merit in this position: the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the CER.
Witte proved himself not only in the professional field. The talented minister turned out to be a skilled intriguer and, by characterizing a Vyshnegradsky colleague mentally ill, contributed to his shift. Witte has been appointed to the post of Finance Minister since the beginning of 1893. Shortly before the appointment, the impudent minister starts a scandalous affair with a Jew, seeks her divorce and marries contrary to the opinion of secular society. Matilda Witte, so called the newly-born spouse, causes only indignation in the light that provokes her husband to a frank conversation with the sovereign. However, the situation changes after Alexander III approves of scandalous relations and even recognizes a bold act worthy of an honest man and a Christian.
As Minister of Finance, Sergey Yulievich reached the peak of his career. The emperor did not interfere in the activities of one of the best statesmen, despite the fact that his policy was sharply different from the traditional one. Witte preferred to appoint professional employees to posts and ignored the established procedure for replacing seats on the principle of proximity to the imperial court. Such a principle in personnel policy aroused indignation on the part of the courtiers, but the result was stunning. In the first year, the new minister eliminated the budget deficit. In the 1895 year, Witte set about introducing a wine monopoly, which contributed to the formation of a surplus, and already in 1898, he conducted a successful monetary reform.
In 1899, Nicholas II Witte is assigned the rank of a real Privy Counselor. In the same year, Sergei Yulievich takes part in the trial of his former acquaintance Mamontov. A little earlier, Witte himself was of the opinion close to the views of the convict. The society regarded such an act as a betrayal, and a well-established dislike for the minister by the elite played a significant role in this.
After the death of Alexander III who favored him, Witte gradually loses his influence at court. However, Nicholas II has long listened to the opinion of the Minister of Finance. In addition, Sergey Yulievich receives recognition on the world stage. The intrigues so characteristic of Witte’s nature, and the hate of light, lead him to retirement in 1903. Officially, this looked like a transfer to the new post of chairman of the committee of ministers. However, in fact, this post had no influence on state affairs.
However, in 1905, fate once again provided Witte with the opportunity to display his exceptional abilities. This time he acted as a diplomat. Due to the amazing ability to convince this man managed to do what the imperial army and dozens of generals could not achieve. Sergei Yulievich retained part of Sakhalin’s territory, while Japanese troops captured it all and demanded to transfer the occupied position completely. The merits of Witte were evaluated by the sovereign, and as a result, the former minister became a count. However, the secular wits nicknamed him Count Polusakhalinsky, although their sarcasm was completely inappropriate.
In 1906, there was an outcome of tensions with the emperor and influential advisers — Witte was dismissed. Deletion was extremely painful for this ambitious person; he repeatedly made various attempts to regain his former power. While retired, he wrote Memories and sent them abroad, fearing the seizure of his labor. After the death of meningitis in 1915, the authorities repeatedly attempted to find and destroy the work of Sergei Yulievich, but the “Memoirs” were nevertheless published abroad.
Contemporaries evaluate Witte ambiguously. If some people focus on his administrative talents, recall his merits in the field of public finances, foreign policy, others speak of the harshness, ambition and hypocrisy of this person. Contemporaries composed many caustic and caustic epigrams addressed to him, the work of, for example, Doroshevich deserves attention. However, it is impossible not to recognize the main thing - Witte was needed by the country in this difficult period. He was a man of surprising turn of mind, who brought great benefit to his state, made a brilliant career and deserves the respect and memory of his descendants. The public services of the minister do not justify him as a person, but it is impossible to ignore them.
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