Arms and the State: Sir William Armstrong and the Remaking of British Naval Power, 1854û1914

by Bastable,Marshall J.

• ISBN13: 9780754634041
• ISBN10: 0754634043
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-03-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Arms and the State is a history of Britain's first and foremost modern armaments company, Sir William G. Armstrong Whitworth Company, from its origins in 1854 to 1914. The study focuses on the role of Sir William G. Armstrong, an engineer and entrepreneur who transformed his modest mechanical engineering business into a vast industrial enterprise which invented, developed, manufactured and sold heavy guns and warships throughout the world. In so doing, the work discusses such varied topics as the social and political nature of technological innovation, the quality of Britain's late-Victorian entrepreneurs, the impact of armaments on British politics, defence policies, the international arms trade and imperialism.

Author Biography

Marshall J. Bastable teaches British and World History at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Table of Contents

General Editor's preface	viii
Abbreviations	ix
Photograph credits	x
Introduction: theories, models and approaches	1	(18)
PART I INVENTING THE ARMSTRONG GUN, 1854-65
1 War, friends and competitors	19	(27)
2 The naval arms revolution	46	(21)
3 Defending England: monster guns or iron ships?	67	(42)
PART II MAKING THE GLOBAL ARMS MARKET, 1863-1914
Introduction	109	(2)
4 World demand and Elswick's marketing	111	(15)
5 Arming America and Europe in the age of nationalism	126	(20)
6 Arming Asia in the age of imperialism	146	(15)
PART III REMAKING BRITISH NAVAL POWER, 1880-1914
Introduction	161	(9)
7 The naval-industrial complex	170	(31)
8 The political-industrial complex	201	(28)
9 Entrepreneurs, managers and the British state	229	(19)
Conclusion	248	(8)
Epilogue	256	(10)
Bibliography	266	(22)
Index	288