Guns for the Tsar: American Technology and the Small Arms Industry in Nineteenth-Century Russia

by Joseph Bradley

Overview

This is a detailed study of the development of the Russian small arms industry. Humiliated in the Crimean War, Russia turned to the United States for help. Using archival sources, Bradley, author of Muzhik and Muscovite: Urbanization in Late Imperial Russia (Univ. of California Pr., 1985), describes the role of famous gunsmiths like Colt, Smith, and Wesson; they provided Russia with machinery, tools, production techniques, and even workers to build an independent arms industry. Assimilation was only partially successful; an inflexible economy hindered military modernization. A 30-page bibliography and 40 pages of footnotes testify to Bradley's meticulous research and academic style. Recommended for specialists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875801544
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	11/01/1990
Series:	NIU Series in Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Pages:	285
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph Bradley is a Professor Emeritus of History in the College of Arts & Sciences History. He has a BA in the University of Wisconsin, and MA and PhD in Harvard University. Bradley's research has focused on the processes of social and cultural change and the interaction between the state and society in tsarist Russia. His first two books studied the strains on urban infrastructure posed by massive peasant immigration as well as government efforts to transform the Russian small arms industry. His third book examined the role of voluntary associations in the development of civil society in imperial Russia.

Editorial Reviews

This is a detailed study of the development of the Russian small arms industry. Humiliated in the Crimean War, Russia turned to the United States for help. Using archival sources, Bradley, author of Muzhik and Muscovite: Urbanization in Late Imperial Russia (Univ. of California Pr., 1985), describes the role of famous gunsmiths like Colt, Smith, and Wesson; they provided Russia with machinery, tools, production techniques, and even workers to build an independent arms industry. Assimilation was only partially successful; an inflexible economy hindered military modernization. A 30-page bibliography and 40 pages of footnotes testify to Bradley's meticulous research and academic style. Recommended for specialists.-- John Yurechko, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.

Library Journal

Arnett (program associate, American Association for the Advancement of Science) assesses the impact of nuclear proliferation on the perceived interests of the US. With a focus on US naval power, he considers the effects on US regional options and opportunities of potential nuclear attacks on ships and bases. He uses India, Iran, and Libya to construct scenarios regarding proliferant arsenals and US capabilities. Documents the transfer of small arms technology from the US to Russia in the late 19th century, a period in Russian history marked by economic stagnation and loss of military power. Addressing changing politics and the impact of technological underdevelopment in Russia from 1860 to 1890, this study provides insights into present patterns of Soviet industrial development and the crippling phenomenon known as Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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