Monarch Alexander II Succeeded by Nikolai Bunge | Monarch Alexander III Nationality Russian | |
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Preceded by Pyotr Aleksandrovich Valuyev Full Name Mikhail Khristoforovich von Reutern Born 24 September 1820
Porechye, Russian Empire ( 1820-09-24 ) Religion Lutheran → Russian Orthodox Died Tsarskoye Selo, Pushkin, Saint Petersburg, Russia | ||
Michael (Mikhail Khristoforovich) Graf von Reutern was an Imperial Russian finance minister.
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Family
He came from Baltic German nobility. His parents were Christopher Adam von Reutern (1782-1833) and his wife Caroline (Lina) of Helffreich (1789-1869).
Life
He was appointed finance minister under the liberal reformist Alexander II and introduced a system of public accounting. Reutern’s period in office was also marked by the promotion of private credit institutions and attempts to stabilise the ruble. He succeeded in reforming tax and customs laws, namely by abolishing the spirits lease and the introduction of a brandy - Excise tax.Government revenues rose significantly,the chronic budget deficit was removed in 1867 and surpluses were achieved from 1873. On trade policy Reutern pragmatically supported reducing some tariffs and duties on manufacturing goods in 1863 and 1868. The Russian-Turkish war reversed parts of Reuterns success, and he resigned in 1878.