Democracy burning? : urban fire departments and the limits of civil society in late Imperial Russia, 1850-1914 / Nigel A. Raab.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Raab, Nigel A., 1968-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fire departments--Russia--History.

Fire departments.

Russia--History--1801-1917.

Russia.

Russia--Social conditions--1801-1917.

Russia--Politics and government--1801-1917.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (277 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Ithaca [N.Y.] : McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Nineteenth-century commentators often claimed that Russia burned to the ground every thirty years. In an empire whose cities were built of wood, firefighters had a visible presence throughout Russia's urban centres and became politically active across the country. Democracy Burning? studies the political, cultural, and social values of volunteer firefighters and reveals the ways in which their public organizations cooperated with the authoritarian state. Nigel Raab considers the important roles that nationalism, regionalism, militarism, photography, and civil society played in fire departments and challenges prevailing notions that volunteer organizations opposed the state. His analysis not only provides insights into questions about a nascent civic consciousness in the years leading to revolution but also reveals new and important information about other aspects of urban life. A skilled work of history and urban studies, Democracy Burning? forces us to rethink the way we consider large public organizations and their relation to authoritarian governments.

Contents:

1 A Tale of Two Ministries: The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Reform of the Russian Fire Department, 1855-65

2 The Implementation of Reform: Developing Urban Autonomy in the Public Fire Department, 1865-80

3 Disagreement without Opposition: The City, the State, and the Fight for Control of the Municipal Fire Department in Kazan, 1881-86

4 A Conservative Public Sphere: Volunteer Fire Departments, 1880-1914

5 The Imperial Russian Society of Firefighters, 1893-1914

6 Visualizing Civil Society: The Photographer and the Firefighter

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-283-53019-8

9786613842640

0-7735-8069-7

OCLC:

767732238