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Introduction
Joanna Spear, George Washington University, Washington DC
Book:

The Business of Armaments

Published online:

19 January 2023

Print publication:

19 January 2023, pp 1-14
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Summary

Discusses the selection of Armstrongs and Vickers for this study, and the availability of rich archival sources. Provides an overview of the relationship between the British state and armament firms over 1855 to 1955. Records a gradual shift from the government and firms being independent of each other to becoming interdependent. Discusses Katherine Epstein’s assertion in Torpedo that there has been a British Military Industrial Complex since the 19th Century. Considers works from David Edgerton and Edward Packard making a similar case for the inter-war period. Considers the contemporary critiques of the armaments trade, which focused on the independence of armament firm “merchants of death,” rather than identifying collusive relationships with the British state. The chapter then lays out a framework for assessing the independence and power of Armstrongs and Vickers in their relationship with the British Government. Establishes six propositions about the firms’ power and independence that are tested through the book.