Accounting for War: Soviet Production, Employment, and the Defence Burden, 1940-1945

by Mark Harrison

Overview

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 was the cost of the war in rubles, lives and foregone postwar economic well-being? In this book Mark Harrison answers these questions, providing a comprehensive analysis of the hitherto secret Soviet statistical record.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521482653
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	10/03/1996
Series:	Cambridge Russian, Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies , #99
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.18(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Mark Harrison writes about the history and economics of Russia, conflict, defence and security. He is a Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick. He is also a research fellow of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies at the University of Birmingham and of the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The research agenda; 2. An inside view; 3. Measuring Soviet GNP; 4. Industry; 5. GNP and the defence burden; 6. The Alliance; 7. War losses; 8. Conclusion; Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...good social history really requires rigorous empirical studies such as this as part of its foundations....Here all historians, not just specialist economists, can make valuable use of this book." Donald Filtzer, International Labor and Working Class History

"Although much of its analysis is highly technical, the book's purpose and methodology are clearly articulated in the introductory chapters and its conclusions are clearly and convincingly summarized....Accounting for War is a valuable contribution to the macro-economic history of the Soviet Union during the Second World War." David R. Costello, The Journal of Military History

"The author's treatment of the issues in this sense should be of interest to all scholars in the field....It will also prove useful as a reference to other students of the Soviet period." Robert Argenbright, The Russian Review

"Harrison demonstrates, with this book, his mastery of the western literature, his knowledge of Russian language sources, and, most importantly, his ability to use the Soviet archives." Paul R. Gregory, International History Review

"...the book tackles the essential measurement issues. Mark Harrison presents an industrial output index that is superior to any previous effort." Book Reviews

"...will be respected by all who work in this field...." Robert Campbell, American Historical Review

"This is an extremely important book.... This book is the only critical account of one of the most important economic topics of twentieth-century histtory. ...this bookis a remarkable tour de force opening up for serious academic investigation an important area that had previously only been studied at the superficial level of anecdotes and selective revalations." Stephen G. Wheatcroft, Journal of Modern History

"Accounting for War is clearly reasoned, carefully executed, and based on original archival research. It marks a significant advance in our knowledge of Soviet economic history." Robert C. Allen, Journal of Economic History

"A fine example of the British school of economic history, this book represents the first reliable reconstruction and superb analysis of Soviet wartime national accounts...A valuable contribution to Soviet economic history, Accounting for War will surely become a standard reference work on the subject." Canadian Slavonic Papers, Serhy Yekelchyk, University of Alberta

From the Publisher