Publisher Description

This book examines the ability of the tsarist government and Russian industrialists to respond to the multiple challenges of war, revolution, political reform, international diplomacy and rearmament in the early twentieth century. Using Russian archive materials, Peter Gatrell analyzes the process and outcome of decision-making by government and business in the key sphere of defense, and makes an important contribution to the literature on the capacity of the old regime to fend off challenges to its authority at home and its prestige abroad.

Author Biography

Peter Gatrell is Professor of Economic History at the University of Manchester. His previous publications include Homelands: War, Population and Statehood in Eastern Europe and Russia, 1918 1924 (co-edited, 2004), and Warlands: Population Resettlement and State Reconstruction in the Soviet-East European Borderlands, 1945 1950 (co-edited, 2008).

Table of Contents

1. Defence and the economy on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War; 2. War and revolution, retrenchment and recession; 3. The defence burden, 1907-14; 4. The economics and politics of industrial recovery; 5. The armaments industry: the search for identity and influence, 1908-14; 6. The economics and politics of defence procurement; 7. Military preparedness on the eve of the first world war.

Review

"Gatrell's argument is impressive and important...there is no questioning the value of this groundbreaking work for anyone interested in the economic history of tsarist Russia." Mary R. Habeck, Journal of Modern History "In his definitive study of the Russian arms industry, Peter Gatrell brilliantly fills the gap...The work is characterized by a judicious use of statistical and archival sources and is refreshingly balanced. It should become one of the key texts in the ongoing debate over the stability of the tsarist regime." The Russian Review "With this large, complex study, the Manchester University historian [Gatrell] confirms his position as one of the preeminent economic historians of pre-Soviet Russia, a group decidedly British in composition...Gatrell sets before specialists and generalists alike a wealth of economic detail, culled laboriously from several archives and countless rare publications. His book is a major contribution to our understanding of the unique economy of late imperial Russia." Business History Review "Gatrell's new monograph is, in my view, perhaps the most important book written in the last twenty years about the interactions between late imperial defence, economics, high politics, and the origins of the First World War. ...Gatrell's interpretation is both satisfying and convincing. In short, this magnificent book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the nature of Russia in the generation before 1917." Canadian Journal of History "...Peter Gatrell has provided an exhaustive investigation of the Russian defense industry and its resurgence before World War I." John P. McKay, American Historical Review "Peter Gatrell has produced a detailed and voluminous study of the Russian defense industry...Peter Gatrell's work is of primary importance to economic historians who want an up-to-date critique of the tsarist defense industry in the period leading up to World War I...The conclusions are judicious and are supported by thorough documentation some it resting on work in the Russian archives. Gatrell's study is unlikely to change our view of the late tsarist regime, but it does enrich it considerably." Daniel W. Graf, The Journal of Military History

Review Quote

"With this large, complex study, the Manchester University historian [Gatrell] confirms his position as one of the preeminent economic historians of pre-Soviet Russia, a group decidedly British in composition....Gatrell sets before specialists and generalists alike a wealth of economic detail, culled laboriously from several archives and countless rare publications. His book is a major contribution to our understanding of the unique economy of late imperial Russia." Business History Review

Promotional "Headline"

Peter Gatrell examines the ability of the tsarist government and Russian industrialists to respond to the multiple challenges of war, revolution, political reform in the early 20th century.

Description for Bookstore

Using Russian archive materials, this book examines the ability of the tsarist government and Russian industrialists to respond to the multiple challenges of war, revolution, and political reform in the early 20th century.

Description for Library

Using Russian archive materials, this book examines the ability of the tsarist government and Russian industrialists to respond to the multiple challenges of war, revolution, and political reform in the early 20th century.

Details