Sergei Witte

Sergei Witte was a Russian statesman who played a significant role in the modernization and industrialization of Russia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as the minister of finance from 1892 to 1903, during which he implemented various reforms such as the gold standard, railway expansion, tariff protection, and foreign loans. He also negotiated the Treaty of Portsmouth that ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Witte was appointed as the first prime minister of Russia in 1905, after he drafted the October Manifesto that granted civil liberties and a constitutional monarchy to the Russian people. However, he faced opposition from both the conservative court and the radical revolutionaries, and resigned in 1906. He remained an influential figure in Russian politics until his death in 1915. Witte was known for his vision, intelligence, and pragmatism, as well as his authoritarian and arrogant personality. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential statesmen in Russian history.