In 1898, near the projected intersection of the Chinese Eastern
Railroad (the last leg of the Trans-Siberian) and China's Sungari
River, Russian engineers founded the city of Harbin. Between the
survey of the site and the profound dislocations of the 1917
revolution, Harbin grew into a bustling multiethnic urban center
with over 100,000 inhabitants. In this area of great natural
wealth, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and American ambitions
competed and converged, and sometimes precipitated vicious
hostilities.
Drawing on the archives, both central and local, of seven
countries, this history of Harbin presents multiple perspectives on
Imperial Russia's only colony. The Russian authorities at Harbin
and their superiors in St. Petersburg intentionally created an
urban environment that was tolerant not only toward their Chinese
host, but also toward different kinds of "Russians." For example,
in no other city of the Russian Empire were Jews and Poles, who
were numerous in Harbin, encouraged to participate in municipal
government. The book reveals how this liberal Russian policy
changed the face and fate of Harbin.
As the history of Harbin unfolds, the narrative covers a wide range
of historiographic concerns from several national histories. These
include: the role of the Russian finance minister Witte, the
building of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, the origins of Stolypin's
reforms, the development of Siberia and the Russian Far East, the
1905 Revolution, the use of ethnicity as a tool of empire,
civil-military conflict, strategic area studies, Chinese
nationalism, the Japanese decision for war against the Russians,
Korean nationalism in exile, and the rise of the soybean as an
international commodity. In all these concerns, Harbin was a
vibrant source of creative, unorthodox policy and turbulent
economic and political claims.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(11)
