“program of S.Yu. Vitte” as a model of establishing a competitive Russia at the edge of the 19th - 20th centuries

In modern conditions the country faces the necessity to build a model of the new chasing modernization and, in this regard, the preceding experience of Russian modernizations and its analysis appears to be up-to-date. The economic program proposed by minister of finance S.Yu. Vitte was a model of country’s transformation to the industrial development and contributed to establishing a competitive Russia at the edge of centuries. The author for the first time performs a complex analysis of Vitte’s note “About changing the staff of the Department of trade and manufactures” prepared in the Ministry of Finance at the end of 1893. This was the document, which remained in historyas “Vitte’s program”. During the implementation of this Program real success was achieved, including creating modern transport communications, powerful industrial complex, which included mining and processing industries, establishing the system of professional education, which really increased the quality of human capital and made the county’s economy competitive in the world. The author makes a conclusion that Russian economy was developing in the framework of the suggested Program even after Vitte’s resignation. However, mostly due to political limitations, the goals stated in the Program were not fully achieved. Nevertheless, Vitte’s period in Russian history was the period of expedited growth and overcoming “backwardness”, which placed the country among the world leading countries in the early 20th century.