Yaropolk Gusev

Yaropolk Nikolayevich Gusev
Ярополк Николаевич Гусев
1st Prime Minister of the Slavic Union
In office October 6, 1912 – July 28, 1915
Preceded by	Position Established
Succeeded by	Position Abolished
Monarch	Peter II
Finance Minister of the Slavic Union
In office August 30, 1894 – February 11, 1902
Monarch	Aleksei II
Preceded by	Yulian Sergeev
Succeeded by	Slavik Egorov
Transport Minister of the Slavic Union
In office February 11, 1891 – August 30, 1894
Personal details
Born	June 22, 1854 Khizny, Slavic Union
Died	March 23, 1916 (aged 61) Adrikagorod, Slavic Union
Cause of death	Pneumonia

Count Yaropolk Nikolayevich Gusev (Slavic: Ярополк Николаевич Гусев; June 22, 1854 - March 23, 1919) was a Slavic statesman who served as the first prime minister of the Slavic Union, replacing the Imperator as the head of government. Prior to the Slavic Revolution he was one of the most important men in the Slavic Union, and from 1912 to 1915 in addition to serving as head of government he de facto acted as head of state as well due to the tendency of Regent Grand Duke Boris to delegate tasks to Gusev.

Gusev came to prominence with his appointment as Finance Minister in 1894, Gusev's adoption of the gold standard and state capitalism, and other economic policies helped industrialize the Slavic Union, however many of his policies widened the income gap and would go on to cause the overthrow of the monarchy in 1915.

Prior to his appointment as prime minister Gusev was well respected by both monarchists and republicans, but when he became prime minister he enacted multiple unpopular policies and would end up being convicted of "crimes against the Slavic people" and dying of pneumonia in prison.

Early life

Gusev's mother, Lucinda Orozco, was from a Catholic Noriyan Parabocan family. She converted to Slavic Orthodox upon her marriage with Nicholas Yulivich Gusev. Gusev was raised on the estate of his fathers parents. Gusev had two brothers (Alexander and Boris) and two sisters (Olga and Sophia). Gusev's family was prominent in the Slavic aristocracy, his forebears having served the Imperators since the 16th century, and as a reward for their service had accumulated huge estates in several provinces. His father was a general in the Slavic artillery. He graduated from Adrikagorod University at the top of his class in 1876.

After graduating Gusev decided to pursue a career in the railroads. Gusev undertook six months of training in a variety of positions on the Ledyanaya Railways to gain a practical understanding of railways operations. At the end of that period, he was appointed as chief of the traffic office. In 1884, Witte accepted a post in Adrikagorod, where he would meet his future wife. In 1883, he published a paper on "Principles of Railway Tariffs for Cargo Transportation" in which he also discussed social issues and the role of the monarchy. Gusev gained popularity in the government. In 1886, he was appointed manager of the privately-held Southwestern Railways, based in Khizny, and was noted for increasing its efficiency and profitability.

Political career

Minister of Transport

Gusev worked in railroad management for 20 years after he had begun as a ticket clerk. He caught the attention of Finance Minister Yulian Sergeev, who appointed him as Transport Minister, a position he filled from 1891 to 1894. During that period, he oversaw an ambitious program of railway construction. Under Gusev the Slavic railroads experienced tremendous success and became immensely profitable.

Minister of Finance

In August 1894, Gusev was appointed to the post of Minister of Finance, which he held for the next eight years, and he nearly doubled the revenues of the empire. During his tenure, he greatly accelerated the construction of the Trans-Slavic Railway. He also emphasized creation of an educational system to train personnel for industry, in particular, the establishment of new "commercial" schools. He was known for appointing subordinates by their academic credentials or merit, rather than because of patronage political connections.

Gold standard

In 1898, Gusev undertook a major currency reform to place the Russian ruble on the gold standard. That resulted in increased investment activity and an increase in the inflow of foreign capital. Witte also enacted a law in 1899 limiting working hours in enterprises, and in 1900 reformed commercial and industrial taxes.

Ledyanaya War

Early on in the course of the Ledyanayan War Gusev took many measures to improve war industry and prepare the country for the conflict. In addition he banned vodka for the course of the war. On February 11, 1902 Gusev resigned from his position out of protest of Aleksei II's hesitancy to condemn the mistreatment of ethnic Parabocan's in the Slavic Union after the Parabocan invasion, with Gusev himself being subject to multiple accusations of being a Parabocan spy due to his ancestry.

Writings

After his resignation Gusev retired to his estate in Khizny, where he would write several articles for multiple newspapers, including for The Demokrat, a prominent paper in support of democracy in the Slavic Union. Despite these contributions Gusev remained a strong supporter of the monarchy, keeping him popular among both monarchists and republicans. With many supporters of democracy suggesting him as a possible head of state in a hypothetical democratic Slavic Union.

Prime minister

Gusev in 1912

Shortly after the assassination of Aleksei II Gusev was approached by the advisors of Grand Duke Boris (Who had been appointed regent due to Aleksi II's son Peter II being only two years old)in an effort to save the country from complete collapse, and on September 17 1912 he went to the Adrika Palace for a meeting. Here he told Boris 'with brutal frankness' that the country was on the verge of a catastrophic revolution, which he said 'would sweep away a thousand years of history'. He presented Boris with two choices: either appoint a military dictator, or agree to broad and major reforms. In a memorandum arguing for a manifesto, Gusev outlined the reforms needed to appease the masses.

He argued for the following reforms: creation of a legislative parliament (Imperial Duma) elected via a democratic franchise; granting of civil liberties; establishing a cabinet government and a 'constitutional order'. Boris dismissed many of these demands, but did allow Gusev to draft a constitution granting some civil liberties and creating the position of prime minister, a position to which Gusev was appointed soon after.