Dictatorship of the Air

Erscheinungsjahr 2018
ISBN: 978-0-521-85957-8
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 328 Seiten, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 627 g

Reihe: Cambridge Centennial of Flight

Focusing on one of the last untold chapters in the history of human flight, Dictatorship of the Air is the first book to explain the true story behind twentieth-century Russia's quest for aviation prominence. Based on nearly a decade of scholarly research, but written with general readers in mind, this is the only account to answer the question 'What is 'Russian' about Russian aviation?' From the 1909 arrival of machine-powered flight in the 'land of the tsars' to the USSR's victory over Hitler in 1945, Dictatorship of the Air describes why the airplane became the pre-eminent symbol of industrial progress and international power for generations of Russian statesmen and citizens. The book reveals how, behind a façade of daredevil pilots, record setting flights, and gargantuan airplanes, Russia's longstanding legacies of industrial backwardness, cultural xenophobia, and state-directed modernization prolonged the nation's dependence upon Western technology and, ultimately, ensured the USSR's demise.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Palmer, Scott W.

Fachgebiete

• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technikgeschichte
• Technische Wissenschaften Verkehrstechnik | Transportgewerbe Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik, Luftverkehr
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Fertigungsindustrie Luftfahrtindustrie
• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Wirtschaftssektoren & Branchen Transport- und Verkehrswirtschaft

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I. Imperial Aviation, 1909-1917: 1. The dawn of Russian aviation; 2. 'The air fleet is the strength of Russia'; Part II. The Origins and Institutions of Soviet Red Air Fleet, 1917-1929: 3. Mandating 'red' aviation; 4. The images and institutions of Soviet air-mindedness; 5. Aeronautical iconography and political legitimacy; 6. Aviation in service to the state; Part III. Soviet Aviation in the Age of Stalin, 1929-1945: 7. Aviation and Stalinist culture; 8. 'Higher, faster, farther!'; 9. Red Phoenix; Conclusion: aviation culture and the fate of modern Russia.

Über Autor(innen)

Palmer, Scott W.
Scott W. Palmer is a specialist in the history of modern Russian culture and technology. A frequent traveler to the Russian Federation, he has conducted eight extended visits to Russian archives since 1994. His research has been supported through fellowships and grants awarded by institutions including the American Council of Learned Societies, the United States Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Fulbright-Hays Program, the International Council for Research Exchange (IREX), the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Study in the Fine Arts. He currently resides and teaches in the Midwest.