The name of this outstanding statesman of Russia, remembered mainly due to his foreign sound, was mentioned in Soviet history only in connection with (as they wrote in textbooks then) the “dark time of tsarism”. He was also associated with another antagonist of Social Democracy - Peter Arkadyevich Stolypin, moreover, as his antipode. The relationship between these two people was indeed not easy, they had largely opposite views on the path of progress, but in the main P.A. Stolypin and S. Yu. Witte agreed. A brief biography of each of them was an embodiment of service to the Fatherland, and both of them completely denied the revolutionary path of development. Unfortunately, they failed to realize the plans for building a great Russia, although this did not require so much - just a couple of decades of peace and quiet.
Genealogy Witte
In the family of the Courland nobleman Christophe-Heinrich-Georg-Julius and the daughter of the governor of the Saratov region Ekaterina Andreevna (nee Fadeeva) in 1849 a son was born, Sergei Witte. A brief biography of the father of the family contains information about the high level of his education (he owned the specialties of a mining engineer and agronomist). In the early forties, he settled in the Saratov province and held the position of manager of a large landowner economy. History is silent about how he conquered the heart of Ekaterina Andreevna Fadeeva, but it is obvious that this task was not an easy one. His future wife and mother, Sergei Yulievich, came from a highly educated noble family, her grandfather was Prince Dolgorukov. Other children of the Saratov governor were also distinguished, not only by their high descent - for example, one of the daughters became a prominent writer (Elena Gan). The cousin of Ekaterina Fadeeva, E. A. Sushkova, became famous as the author of very interesting memoirs that painted the society of that time. Elena Blavatsky had a boy cousin.
It may seem to some that the family in which Witte Sergey Yulievich was born seems insignificant. A brief biography of him, however, is impossible without this information. His ancestors were worthy and gifted people.
Education
Before reaching the age of sixteen, the boy attended a gymnasium in Tiflis. Then the family lived in Chisinau for a couple of years. After receiving a certificate of maturity, he and his brother became students of Novorossiysk University, one of the best in the Russian Empire. Patiently and persistently studied mathematics, the future statesman Witte. A brief biography of him says that the youth of Sergei Yulievich is connected with Odessa (it was here that the mentioned Novorossiysk University was located, now it bears the name of I. I. Mechnikov). In South Palmyra, he defended his thesis (1870). Witte was offered to stay in an educational institution, but he refused, and he received the full support of his family, who considered the nobleman's destiny to serve the sovereign and the Fatherland.
Career Traveler
The young man entered the service, taking the post of official in the office of the governor of New Russia. But there he did not sit long and soon became a specialist-traveler on the recommendation of Count A.P. Bobrinsky. A short biography of Witte contains information that he worked almost as a cashier, but this is not entirely true, although he did have to travel a lot to small stations, studying the work of the railway in all the subtleties and holding various low posts to deepen his knowledge. Soon, such perseverance yielded results, and he headed the operational service of the Odessa Railway. It was S. Yu. Witte then only 25 years old.
Further growth
A short biography of Witte as an official could become very short due to the train crash that occurred on Tiligul, but his active work in organizing defense cargo transportation (there was a war with Turkey) gained the favor of his superiors, and he was actually forgiven (punishment - two weeks guardhouse). The development of the port of Odessa is also largely his merit. So, instead of resignation and disgrace - a new round of career, now in St. Petersburg. It was S. Yu. Witte who was entrusted with the management of the five southwestern railways (Kharkov-Nikolaev, Kiev-Brest, Fastov, Brest-Graev and Odessa) in 1879. A brief biography of a high-ranking official takes us to Kiev, where he works under the direction of I.S.Bliokh, a prominent theoretician-economist and banker. Fifteen interesting years of his life will pass here.
Achievements
At the beginning of the 20th century, tectonic processes take place in the world economy, of which Sergey Yulievich did not stand aside. A brief biography of him contains information about the work he wrote "National Economy and Friedrich Liszt." Soon this book is noticed "at the very top", and the author is appointed as a state adviser to the railway department. Then there is a rapid career throw to the post of minister. D.I. Mendeleev invited Witte to serve in the agency entrusted to him.
The main merits of Sergey Yulievich in the matter of state reform can be listed on the following points:
1. The introduction of the gold security of the ruble. As a result, the Russian currency becomes one of the main world currencies.
2. The consolidation of the state monopoly on the sale of vodka (there was even the concept of "monopoly" as a common name for drinking establishments). Serious funds began to come into the budget, but there was also an unpleasant effect from the state’s interest in soldering the people.
3. A sharp increase in railway construction. During Witte's work, the length of the paths doubled and exceeded 54 thousand versts. This pace was not even in the years of the Stalin five-year plans.
4. Transfer of communication lines to state ownership. The treasury bought 70% of the carrier companies from the owners, this was of strategic importance for the country's economy.
Personal life
Not even a brief biography is complete without mentioning the family. Witte in his youth enjoyed success with the ladies (it is known about his acquaintances with actresses). Even in Odessa, Sergei Yulievich met his first wife, who at that time was in a formal marriage. N. A. Spiridonova (nee Ivanenko) was the daughter of the leader of the nobility from Chernigov, they were married in Kiev, in the Cathedral of St. Vladimir. The couple lived until the death of his wife in 1890. Two years later, Witte married a second time. His chosen one Matilda Ivanovna Lisanevich herself raised a daughter, whom Sergei Yulievich raised as his own child. The wife came from their Jewish crosses, which aggravated the official’s relations with secular society. He himself did not attach importance to prejudice.
Last years
Relations with Nicholas II at Witte were difficult. On the one hand, the emperor appreciated him as a specialist, on the other hand, court intrigues (which, incidentally, Sergey Yulievich himself was a master at), greatly complicated the position of the Minister of Finance. In the end, in 1903 Witte lost his post, but for a long time did not remain idle - it was he who was sent to conduct peace negotiations with the Japanese government. He coped with the task, the award was the title of count.
Then difficulties arose with the agricultural project, the shooter of which was Peter Arkadyevich Stolypin. Faced with the resistance of the landowners, Witte stepped back, and dismissed the author of the controversial law. For a long time, however, maneuvering between the interests of warring factions was impossible. The inevitable resignation ultimately took place in 1906.
On this, in fact, Witte’s short biography ends. In February 1915, he contracted meningitis and died.
The whole life of this statesman is a vivid illustration of the unsuccessful struggle for the prosperity of the motherland. It is necessary for our contemporaries to know it in order to avoid many mistakes made a century ago.