Böcker av Mark Harrison

"The Soviet Union was one of the most secretive states that ever existed. Defended by a complex apparatus of rules and checks administered by the secret police, the Soviet state had seemingly unprecedented capabilities based on its near monopoly of productive capital, monolithic authority, and secretive decision making. But behind the scenes, Soviet secrecy was double-edged: it raised transaction costs, incentivized indecision, compromised the effectiveness of government officials, eroded citizens' trust in institutions and in each other, and led to a secretive society and an uninformed elite. The result is what this book calls the secrecy/capacity tradeoff: a bargain in which the Soviet state accepted the reduction of state capacity as the cost of ensuring its own survival. This book is the first comprehensive, analytical, multi-faceted history of Soviet secrecy in the English language. Harrison combines quantitative and qualitative evidence to evaluate the impact of secrecy on Soviet state capacity from the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Based on multiple years of research in once-secret Soviet-era archives, this book addresses two gaps in history and social science: one the core role of secrecy in building and stabilizing the communist states of the twentieth century; the other the corrosive effects of secrecy on the capabilities of authoritarian states"--

A fresh look at the crowd in relation to the urbanising process and the civic culture it inspired.

How did the Soviet Union compare economically with its allies and adversaries before and during World War II? Was Soviet economic survival under massive German attack to be expected? What did the war cost in rubles, lives and forgone postwar economic well-being? This book answers these questions, providing a comprehensive analysis of the hitherto secret Soviet statistical record.

This book is about the impact of World War II on the Soviet system of economic planning. It assesses the prewar Soviet economic system, how the economy measured up to wartime requirements, and the lessons laid down for the postwar Soviet approach to both peaceful and warlike tasks.

The first major study of public health in British India that covers many previously unresearched areas such as European attitudes towards India; the fate of public health under Indian control; and the effects of quarantine on colonial trade and the pilgrimage to Mecca.

This fascinating book explores the landscape of television animation, from Bedrock to Springfield, and beyond. Addressing key themes and issues such 'class' and 'taste', as well as irony, alienation, and representations of the family.

Presents a comprehensive account of British military medicine in the Second World War. This book examines medical work in the main theatres of the war, from the front line to the base hospital. Various aspects of medical work are also covered, including the prevention of disease, and the disposal and treatment of casualties.

This book concludes The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, an authoritative account of the Soviet Union's industrial transformation between 1929 and 1939. During that time, Soviet society was repeatedly mobilised against internal and external enemies, and the economy provided one of the main arenas for the struggle.

What was life in the Soviet Union really like? Through a series of true stories, One Day We Will Live Without Fear describes what people's day-to-day life was like under the regime of the Soviet police state. Drawing on events from the 1930s through the 1970s, Mark Harrison shows how, by accident or design, people became entangled in the workings of Soviet rule.

IELTS is our major British English exam preparation series combining exam preparation, practice, and tips. This effective combination of testing and teaching has proved a popular formula with teachers and students. This book deals with this exam.

A guide to the weapons, armour and tactics of the archetypical Viking warrior from his origins in Scandinavia through the devastating explosion into British history to the end of the Anglo-Danish monarchy at Hastings. The exploded and cutaway artwork shows details of armour and weaponry.