Great statesmanship is a rare quality. It requires intellect, perseverance, prudence, a certain amount of ruthlessness, and an understanding of history, geography and human nature. Great statesmen have a knack for understanding the interests of their country and an appreciation of the need for order in the world. Count Sergei Witte, who served as Imperial Russia's Finance Minister and Prime Minister in the late 1890s and early 1900s, repeatedly demonstrated these traits in his efforts to modernize Russia and save the Romanov dynasty.
Witte, born in Tiflis, Georgia, in 1849, was educated at Odessa University, worked for a private railroad company, and served in the Russian government from 1888 to 1906. In 1911 and 1912, he wrote his memoirs, which were ultimately published (thanks to his widow) in 1921.
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