Debates in the ruling circles of the Russian Empire about its military spending from the 1860s to the early 1890s are considered. The positions of opposing government departments are examined and analyzed: the Ministry of Finance, the State Control, the Department of State Economy, and some other central institutions demanded to measure the costs of the army with limited Treasury resources, and the Ministry of War advocated a significant increase in allocations for the needs of state defense, appealing to the strengthening armed forces of Western powers. Particular attention is paid to economic and foreign policy factors that to varying degrees influenced the amount of funding for the army-crises in the national economy, crop sizes, the state of industry and trade, budget balance, the level of public debt, the threat of international conflicts, local hostilities on the outskirts of the empire, etc. The author concludes that ultimately the government failed to bring the army into full compliance with the requirements of time, which was especially evident in the wars of the early 20th century.
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