Page:Michael Farbman - Russia & the Struggle for Peace (1918).djvu/37

Rh fabrikaty," as they were called) came almost entirely from Germany. Russia had raw materials enough, but her actual economic development was at such a stage that in many important branches of industry she was unable to deal with the first processes of manufacture. She therefore had to export the raw material, and re-import the ready-prepared material for the final processes of manufacture, which, again, constituted an important branch of her national industry. An example of this is seen in the leather and fur industry. Russia had raw animal hide and skins in plenty, and the making of leather goods and especially of furs was an important part of Russian industry. But the initial processes of tanning and colouring were not performed in Russia. And, as a matter of fact, Russia used to export raw hide and skins to Germany and to import back leather and furs. The famous Russian leather ware and Russian furs were made out of these German half-prepared materials. So it was in many other branches of industry. In 1913 the import of such half-manufactured products amounted to 662 million roubles, or more than half of the total imports of Russia. Altogether, Russia depended on other countries—especially on Germany—for some essential machinery or important part or process, or for the half-prepared materials, in nearly all her important industries.

It is therefore not to be wondered at, if the sudden and complete cutting off of all imports from Germany not only put an end to certain industries but paralysed nearly all the rest. Relatively speaking, Russia suffered far more from the cessation of imports in half-prepared materials than Germany suffered from the loss of Russia's raw materials. The raw materials which she used to obtain from Russia Germany endeavoured to obtain from neutral countries or to replace by some efficient substitutes. But half-prepared products are a kind of raw material whose absence is not so easy to adjust. The turning out of finished articles from these half-prepared materials had been the result of a