All Russia is burning! : a cultural history of fire and arson in late Imperial Russia / Cathy A. Frierson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Frierson, Cathy A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Arson--Russia--History--19th century.

Arson.

History.

Russia--Social life and customs.

Russia.

Manners and customs.

Physical Description:

x, 318 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Seattle : University of Washington Press, [2002]

Summary:

n this absorbing study of the role of fire in 19th-century Russia, Frierson offers insights on a wide variety of other aspects of life of the period: agricultural practices; the relationship between peasants, for whom fire was the principal source of energy, and the educated urban elite who wanted to control both the energy source and the peasants; arson as a weapon and as a tool of social protest; early fire-fighting organizations as examples of interclass cooperation.

Contents:

Part 1 From Benevolent Force to National Misfortune: Fire's Contested Meanings in Rural Russia 13

1. Fire as Gentle Cookery and Paradise: Peasants as Mistresses and Masters of Fire 15

2. Fire as Apocalypse or Pathology: Peasants as Victims or Vectors of Fire 40

3. Fire as Russia's Historical Evil: Peasants Dispossessed by Fire 64

Part 2 Letting Loose the Red Rooster: Arson in Rural Russia 101

4. The Fiery Brand, Russian Style: Arson as Protest, Peasants as Incendiaries 108

5. Arson as Impotent Spite or Potent Practice: Peasants as Vengeful, Covetous, or Wily Actors 129

Part 3 Mobilizing to Make Russia Modern: Insuring, Planning, Volunteering 175

6. Fire as Insurance Hazard: Peasants as Students of Prudence and Precaution 179

7. Fire Contained in the Planned Village: Peasants as Residents in a Disciplined Domestic Order 204

8. Fire as the Internal Enemy: Peasants as Volunteer Firefighters 231

9. Conclusion: Fire as an Imperial Legacy, Peasants as Partners in Progress 267

3.1 Total reported fires by province, 1863

3.2 Total reported fires by province, 1873

3.3 Total reported fires by province, 1883

3.4 Total reported fires by province, 1893

3.5 Population density in 1897

3.6 Fires per population in 1897

4.1 Percentage of reported fires attributed to arson, 1860s

4.2 Percentage of reported fires attributed to arson, 1870s

4.3 Percentage of reported fires attributed to arson, 1880s

4.4 Percentage of reported fires attributed to arson, 1890s

4.5 Percentage of reported fires attributed to arson, 1900-1904

5.1 Provinces where percentage of fires attributed to arson increased, 1888-1904

3.1 Numbers of reported fires in European Russia, 1860-1904

3.2 Annual fire data for Borisogleb District, Tambov Province, 1879-1900

3.3 Reported causes of fires in European Russia, 1870-1909

3.4 Reported fires and losses in Orel Province, 1888-1894

4.1 Ministry of Interior statistics on arson in European Russia, 1870-1910

5.1 Numbers of places with 500 residents or more in arson-prone provinces, 1897

5.2 Reported fires and insurance claims in Viatka Province, 1886

5.3 Rates of arson in twelve provinces of European Russia, 1888-1909

6.1 Insurance rates for compulsory fire insurance, Saratov Province, 1903

7.1 Numbers of Adamov roofs installed in Novgorod Province, 1888-1902

7.2 Frequency of clay and straw roofs and extent of fires in Samara Province, 1891-1901

8.1 Zemstvo-required firefighting equipment, Novgorod Province, 1901

8.2 Zemstvo financial support for volunteer brigades after 1897

8.3 Numbers of village volunteer fire brigades in zemstvo provinces, 1903

8.4 Numbers of fires and structures burned per fire in rural Russia, 1890-1904

9.1 Numbers of fires per season outside town limits in European Russia.

Notes:

"A Samuel & Althea Stroum book."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-312) and index.

ISBN:

029598208X

0295982098

OCLC:

48475296