Oddly, some of the richest men of the Empire sympathized with the revolutionary cause.
1. Nikolai Vtorov — 60 million rubles (approx. $777 million in 2021)
Nikolai Vtorov (1), the owner of the Spaso House (3).
Sputnik; Public domain
Vtorov received the nickname ‘Siberian American’ for his outstanding entrepreneurial skills. He was given a good start in life by his father — a successful merchant — who left his son more than 13 million rubles inheritance after his death.
Relocating to Moscow in 1897, Vtorov heavily invested his father’s fortune into multiple companies, banks and factories. He also invested in the creation of new production facilities: chemical dye factories and a car-making factory.
World War I was a blessing for Vtorov’s business, which quickly adopted its products for military needs, working at full capacity.
After the 1917 Revolution, Vtorov proclaimed his loyalty to the Bolsheviks, but did not live long enough to adapt his business to the new style of government. The following year — in 1918 — Vtorov died under mysterious circumstances.
