The Electrification of Russia, 1880–1926

Jonathan Coopersmith

Published by Cornell University Press 2016

The Electrification of Russia, 1880–1926

Jonathan Coopersmith
Funded by: National Endowment for the Humanities Open Book Program

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501705373

Overview
Contents

About this book

The Electrification of Russia, 1880–1926 is the first full account of the widespread adoption of electricity in Russia, from the beginning in the 1880s to its early years as a state technology under Soviet rule.

Author / Editor information

Jonathan Coopersmith is Professor of History at Texas A&M University.

Reviews

Coopersmith ends up showing how revolutionary the Stalin era turned out to be, and how the radical dream of achieving a quick leap from backwardness to modernity, while eliminating exploitation, persisted throughout the uncertain decade of the 1920s.

The Electrification of Russia deserves careful attention: Coopersmith presents a balanced treatment of electrification in both the tsarist and Soviet eras, and his many comparisons between the two periods help illustrate the pattern of electrification. His numerous references to developments in the West are also valuable, highlighting the peculiarities of the Russian and Soviet situation. Given the dearth of scholarly studies of technology in Russia and the Soviet Union, this volume is particularly noteworthy.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Illustrations Publicly Available Download PDF	viii
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Abbreviations and Russian Terms Publicly Available Download PDF	xi
CHAPTER 1. Introduction: The Shaping of a Technology Open Access Download PDF	1
CHAPTER 2. Government and Growth in Imperial Russia, 1870–1886 Open Access Download PDF	8
CHAPTER 3. Electrification, 1886–1914 Open Access Download PDF	42
CHAPTER 4. The Rise of Electrification, 1914–1917 Open Access Download PDF	99
CHAPTER 5. Feasting Eyes, Hungry Stomachs, 1917–1920 Open Access Download PDF	121
CHAPTER 6. GOELRO: The Creation of a Dream, 1920–1921 Open Access Download PDF	151
CHAPTER 7. The NEP Years, 1921–1926 Open Access Download PDF	192
CHAPTER 8. Conclusion: Shifting Grounds, Shifting Goals Open Access Download PDF	258
Index Open Access Download PDF	266

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 174
Keywords: electrification; technology; modernity; modernization; Communism; tsarist era; Soviet era; Stalin era; socially transformative power; science-based enterprise; ideology vs. reality

eBook

Published: November 1, 2016
ISBN: 9781501705373