Title: Russia’s Railway Policy and Foreign Financiers
Abstract: In this article, the author analyses the dilemma between transport modernisation and State sovereignty in nineteenth–century Russia. It identifies the reasons that drove the Russian state to appeal to its recent enemies of the Crimean war for the construction of a wide railway network. The idea of founding a private and foreign company, called The Main Society of Russian Railways, aroused an important debate at the beginning of Alexander II’s reign, when the need for reforms became patent. The article identifies the antagonism between several official organs and financial groups, both Russian and foreign, which defended either the State’s sovereignty or the arrival of European capitals. The use of the company’s archives, almost unknown by historians, highly contributes to a better comprehension of the mechanisms used by European financial groups (Rothschild, Pereire and Oppenheim) to influence Alexander II’s railway policies. They permit us to understand the internationalisation of the Russian territory and the games of power that influenced the modernisation of Russian railways.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot