Government, Industry and Rearmament in Russia, 1900–1914: The Last Argument of Tsarism (Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies, Series Number 92)

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. 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. Peter Gatrell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book provides an economic historian's perspective on major questions that confront all students of Russian history: how stable were the economic and administrative structures of late-imperial Russia, and how well prepared was Russia for war in 1914? The decade following the Russo-Japanese War witnessed profound changes in the political system and in the industrial economy. The regime faced challenges to its authority from industrialists, caught in the throes of recession, and from parliamentary critics of tsarist administration. Peter Gatrell provides a comprehensive account of the attempts made by government and business to confront these challenges, examining the organisation and performance of a key industry and showing how decisions were reached about the allocation of resources, and the far-reaching consequences these decisions entailed Frontmatter List of maps (page ix) List of tables (page x) Preface (page xiii) Acknowledgments (page xv) List of abbreviations (page xvii) Maps (page xviii) Introduction (page 1) Part I Defence imperatives and Russian industry, 1911--1907 (page 11) 1 Defence and the economy on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War (page 13) 2 War and revolution, retrenchment and recession (page 65) Part II Rearmament and industrial ambition (page 115) 3 The defence burden, 1907-1914 (page 117) 4 The economics and politics of industrial recovery (page 161) 5 The armaments industry: the search for identity and influence, 1908-1914 (page 197) 6 The economics and politics of defence procurement (page 260) 7 Military preparedness on the eve of the First World War (page 291) Conclusion (page 323) Notes (page 330) Bibliography (page 372) Index (page 388)