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Rulers, Guns, and Money: The Global Arms Trade in the Age of Imperialism
The explosion of the industrial revolution and the rise of imperialism in the second half of the nineteenth century served to dramatically increase the supply and demand for weapons on a global scale. No longer could arms manufacturers in industrialized nations subsist by supplying their own states' arsenals, causing them to seek markets beyond their own borders.
Challenging the traditional view of arms dealers as agents of their own countries, Jonathan Grant asserts that these firms pursued their own economic interests while convincing their homeland governments that weapons sales delivered national prestige and could influence foreign countries. Industrial and banking interests often worked counter to diplomatic interests as arms sales could potentially provide nonindustrial states with the means to resist imperialism or pursue their own imperial ambitions. It was not mere coincidence that the only African country not conquered by Europeans, Ethiopia, purchased weapons from Italy prior to an attempted Italian invasion.
From the rise of Remington and Winchester during the American Civil War, to the German firm Krupp's negotiations with the Russian government, to an intense military modernization contest between Chile and Argentina, Grant vividly chronicles how an arms trade led to an all-out arms race, and ultimately to war.
Challenging the traditional view of arms dealers as agents of their own countries, Jonathan Grant asserts that these firms pursued their own economic interests while convincing their homeland governments that weapons sales delivered national prestige and could influence foreign countries. Industrial and banking interests often worked counter to diplomatic interests as arms sales could potentially provide nonindustrial states with the means to resist imperialism or pursue their own imperial ambitions. It was not mere coincidence that the only African country not conquered by Europeans, Ethiopia, purchased weapons from Italy prior to an attempted Italian invasion.
From the rise of Remington and Winchester during the American Civil War, to the German firm Krupp's negotiations with the Russian government, to an intense military modernization contest between Chile and Argentina, Grant vividly chronicles how an arms trade led to an all-out arms race, and ultimately to war.
- GenresHistory
304 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2007
23 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan A. Grant
4 books1 followerA specialist in modern Russian industry, Jonathan A. Grant is a professor of history, and Chair of the Department of History at Florida State University in Tallahassee. He received his B.A. (1986) and M.A. (1989 and 1990) from Indiana University before earning his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 16, 2013
As a study, this book is an invaluable resource, describing the minutia of various armament procurement decisions in Eastern Europe and South America from the 1870s to the 1910s, as well as describing the dynamics of the Ethiopian rifle trade. As a book, however, it leaves much to be desired, lacking a coherent structure in its main body, and leaving the introduction and conclusion essentially on their own to carry its argument (to say nothing of providing the most readable sections). In essence, the introduction and conclusion could be seen as a work onto themselves, with the main body of the work serving as a sort of appendix providing corroborative detail.
To a scholar working on any of the subjects touched on in this book, this is a highly valuable resource. For anyone else, most of the profit to be found in reading it can be derived from the introduction and conclusion alone, supplemented as the reader's interest dictates by the rather decontextualized minutia of the main body.
To a scholar working on any of the subjects touched on in this book, this is a highly valuable resource. For anyone else, most of the profit to be found in reading it can be derived from the introduction and conclusion alone, supplemented as the reader's interest dictates by the rather decontextualized minutia of the main body.
January 15, 2023
Although it started off strong, Jonathan's A grant Rulers Guns and Money increasingly invested it's pages into financial loans and going through every interaction and detail of diplomatic work at the expense off what I was looking for.
The part I genuinly liked were the three first chapters that talked about the dynamic of modernization of weapons by big powers resulting in a huge load of older guns and cannons that suddenly were either scrapmetal or looking for a new buyer. This dynamic, alongside gun manufacturers in the USA and Germany looking for customers after their domestic clients had been satisfied, to me was the most fascinating. These chapters talked about what impact importing weapons had and what advantage that had over trying to built up your own arms production, mostley it was faster and cheaper in a pinch. The importance of international reputation comes through the best here, guns made by USA factories had been tried in tested in the US Civil war while Krupp artillery had been giving a worldwide promotion after the Franco- Prussian war of 1871.
After chapter three however the chapters spent more and more time talking about financial loans, the bilteral negotiations and courtly dance of diplomacy and political influence which was not to my liking. I understand that pointing out that there existed not a logical connection between political alliance- loans- choice of weapon provider, meaning that the provider of loans did not have a monopoly of providing arms or even political dominance, is relevant, but to me personnaly it went a bit too long and to much into detail to my liking, even if it was noteworthy to find the UK's active policy to limit arms sales througouth the world.
Things I wished had been included; the size and background of the companies, how the smaller actors such as Belgian gun manufacturers handled themselves, how these companies chose their people to represent them abroad and how the bribery and gift giving was integrated in their bookkeeping. Likewise I would have liked a bit more on the differences between the rifles, cannons and gunboats, it is there but is overshadowed by talk about loans. The final chapter hints at what choices made in the decade leading up to WWI influenced the dynamics of the great war, but could have delved a bit deeper into it.
Things I genuinly liked, Ethiopia and Japan are to me the best worked out cases when it comes to integrating weapon imports into the broader history, I can appreciate what importing weapons meant for them. To a lesser extent I liked the gun race between chili and Argentina, proof that an arms race does not necessarily end in war or even proxy war but I guess that iff the guns and boats are primarely meant for showing off, then it is by default less likely that they will be risked in conflict, It was interesting to note that for a decade or so in the 1860, that the navy of Chili was the strongest in the whole of the America's.
Likewise the book also makes a strong case throughout that no competition is in a vacuum. Turkey and greece building up boats to fend each other off had the effect of spooking the Russians in building up the black sea fleet. the UK exceptional support for Japanese built up had a direct effect on both Russian and Chinese states, whilst the eagerness for clients in eastern Europe stoked up Balkan states against each other and lest not forget how it was Italians selling guns to rebel king of Ethiopia Memlik II, who used those same guns against the Italians when he had become emperor of Ethiopia (also proving that being someone arms supplier does not mean one gains a loyal political client).
I'd say it is still a good book and does featre regions as diverse as south america, south eastern europe, East Africa and East Asia so if one is doing work on the history on one of those regions; it would be definitively worth your time.
The part I genuinly liked were the three first chapters that talked about the dynamic of modernization of weapons by big powers resulting in a huge load of older guns and cannons that suddenly were either scrapmetal or looking for a new buyer. This dynamic, alongside gun manufacturers in the USA and Germany looking for customers after their domestic clients had been satisfied, to me was the most fascinating. These chapters talked about what impact importing weapons had and what advantage that had over trying to built up your own arms production, mostley it was faster and cheaper in a pinch. The importance of international reputation comes through the best here, guns made by USA factories had been tried in tested in the US Civil war while Krupp artillery had been giving a worldwide promotion after the Franco- Prussian war of 1871.
After chapter three however the chapters spent more and more time talking about financial loans, the bilteral negotiations and courtly dance of diplomacy and political influence which was not to my liking. I understand that pointing out that there existed not a logical connection between political alliance- loans- choice of weapon provider, meaning that the provider of loans did not have a monopoly of providing arms or even political dominance, is relevant, but to me personnaly it went a bit too long and to much into detail to my liking, even if it was noteworthy to find the UK's active policy to limit arms sales througouth the world.
Things I wished had been included; the size and background of the companies, how the smaller actors such as Belgian gun manufacturers handled themselves, how these companies chose their people to represent them abroad and how the bribery and gift giving was integrated in their bookkeeping. Likewise I would have liked a bit more on the differences between the rifles, cannons and gunboats, it is there but is overshadowed by talk about loans. The final chapter hints at what choices made in the decade leading up to WWI influenced the dynamics of the great war, but could have delved a bit deeper into it.
Things I genuinly liked, Ethiopia and Japan are to me the best worked out cases when it comes to integrating weapon imports into the broader history, I can appreciate what importing weapons meant for them. To a lesser extent I liked the gun race between chili and Argentina, proof that an arms race does not necessarily end in war or even proxy war but I guess that iff the guns and boats are primarely meant for showing off, then it is by default less likely that they will be risked in conflict, It was interesting to note that for a decade or so in the 1860, that the navy of Chili was the strongest in the whole of the America's.
Likewise the book also makes a strong case throughout that no competition is in a vacuum. Turkey and greece building up boats to fend each other off had the effect of spooking the Russians in building up the black sea fleet. the UK exceptional support for Japanese built up had a direct effect on both Russian and Chinese states, whilst the eagerness for clients in eastern Europe stoked up Balkan states against each other and lest not forget how it was Italians selling guns to rebel king of Ethiopia Memlik II, who used those same guns against the Italians when he had become emperor of Ethiopia (also proving that being someone arms supplier does not mean one gains a loyal political client).
I'd say it is still a good book and does featre regions as diverse as south america, south eastern europe, East Africa and East Asia so if one is doing work on the history on one of those regions; it would be definitively worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews