ABSTRACT
The iron tentacles of Western Europe’s industrial revolution finally had reached eastward into Russia, taken hold, and torn irreparable fissures in traditional Russian society. Two crucial factors shaped the development of Russian capitalism: the disproportionate role played by foreigners and the direct involvement of the state. Foreigners played such a pronounced role because Russia lacked the capital resources and technical skills necessary for extensive industrial development. The Crimean War had made it clear that a modern railroad network was needed to move Russian troops and supplies quickly to future battlefields. The Russian proletariat of the late nineteenth century was exploited in the classic fashion of factory workers in the early stages of industrialization, but conditions were even worse in Russia than they had been during corresponding stages in the West. The social instability resulting from the emancipation had magnified the autocracy’s weaknesses, this antiquated institution in a modern world remained the most important factor holding Russian society together.
