The Memoirs of Count Witte

by Sergei Witte, Sidney Samuel Harcave (Editor)

A portrait of the twilight years of tsarism by Count Sergei Witte (1849-1915), the man who built modern Russia. Witte presents incisive and often piquant portraits of the mighty and those around them--powerful Alexander III, the weak-willed Nicholas II, and the neurasthenic Empress Alexandra, along with his own notorious cousin, Madam Blavatsky, the "priestess of the occult".

Genres: History, Russia, Biography, Russian History, Russian Literature, Nonfiction

920 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 1990

About the author

Prime minister in Imperial Russia, one of the key figures in the political arena at the end of 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century.
Witte served under the last two emperors of Russia, Alexander III and Nicholas II. As Minister of Finance Witte presided over extensive industrialization and the management of various railroad lines. He framed the October Manifesto of 1905, and the accompanying government communication, but was not convinced it would solve Russia's problem with the Tsarist autocracy.
On 20 October 1905 he became the first Chairman of the Russian Council of Ministers (Prime Minister). Assisted by his Council he designed Russia's first constitution. Within a few months, he fell into disgrace within court circles as a reformer. He resigned before the First Duma assembled.
Witte, was a highly influential econometrician. He has been described as the 'great reforming finance minister of the 1890s', 'one of Nicholas's most enlightened ministers', and the architect of Russia's new parliamentary order in 1905.

Reviews

[Grig O' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a compelling read, from a remarkable statesman. I haven't read many such memoirs yet; the closest comparison would be to JS Mill's autobiography. Where Mill jumps straight into his side of various obscure issues, Witte expertly weaves his many dealings into a larger context, building a clear and gripping narrative for someone like me, largely ignorant of Russia's prerevolutionary history.

And what a sprawling, intriguing, tragic bunch of stories it is. Nicholas II and his entourage take centre stage, a unique combination of autocratic power and weak-willed incompetence. The only relief is knowing that they got what they deserved in the end - or did they? I know what to read next...

[Kenton Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extraordinary inside look at the court of the last Tsar from one of Russia's true - and stymied - reformers. He presents one of the great 'what if's?' of history.
Essential, I think, if you wish to understand the Russian revolution and thereafter.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting memoir that outlines Witte’s complex political beliefs and worldview