Department Of Northern Virginia & Virginia Historical Society. (1879) Jacob's 1878 official map of Prince Edward County, Virginia. [Washington: H. Jacob] [Map] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2012592122/.
The industrial revolution began about 1870 as Meiji period leaders decided to catch up with the West. The government built railroads, improved roads, and inaugurated a land reform program to prepare the country for further development.
Railroads stimulated the development of coal, iron and steel industries which allowed Russia to serve as a commercial link between western Europe and east Asia. Industrialization in Russia benefited from the expertise of Count Sergei Witte who served as finance minister from 1892 to 1903.