The Great Train Race

From their origins, railways produced an intense competition between the two major continental systems in France and Germany. Based on research in French and German archives, this book examines the adaptation of railroads and steam engines from Britain to the continent of Europe after the Napoleonic age.

"The breadth of [this] comparative study of French and German railroad development - the largest and most important railway systems on the continent - is a signal achievement... A brief sketch of the book's trajectory does justice neither to the wealth of detail nor to the arresting insights that future historians will draw on for years to come." Central European History "... a fine book. Indeed, it is a labour of love, informed by intensive research and a lifetime's interest. All historians of European railways will be greatly in its debt." The International History Review "The Great Train Race is a well-researched book, full of useful comparative insights into French and German railway development, and doubtless an important contribution to the history of Franco-German rivalry before World War One ... [R]ecommended to economic historians as a study which shows, in well-balanced comparative perspective, the great importance of their field for understanding political history."Journal of Modern History "For Mitchell, this was clearly a labor of love, and it is a pleasure to see a job well done. The book has a full scholarly apparatus along with vital charts and maps to keep things clear." H-German "Allan Mitchell is presenting, with The Great Train Race, a highly informed and ambitious study, in which the fundamental importance of trains for the societies of both countries has been convincingly argued." Historische Zeitschrift "...Presents a rich and understandable overview...The book provides an excellent model for researching and writing comparative railway histories. Such analyses of the relationship between state and railway are rare events." The Journal of Transport History

Autorentext
Allan Mitchell (1933-2016) was Professor Emeritus at the University of California, San Diego. He served on the editorial boards of The American Historical Review and Central European History. Trained in both France and Germany, he became a distinguished proponent of comparative European History.

Inhalt
List of Illustrations
Preface Introduction: The Conundrum of Comparative History PART I: LAUNCHING THE RAILWAY AGE Chapter 1. France, 18151870 Liberalism and the Legrand Star The Emergence of the Great Railway Companies The Surge of the Second Empire Trains and Free Trade The Military Implications Chapter 2. Germany, 18151870 The Dilemmas of Political Diversity Particularism Unbound Prussia and the Push for Unification Before the Take-Off Strategic Thought and Military Action Chapter 3. Comparisons, 18151870 Administrative Organization Economic Competition Military Strategy PART II: THE SIGNALS ARE SET Chapter 4. France, 18701890 After the Fall The Counterattack of the Companies The Failure of Centralism A Condition of Troubling Inferiority Railways and the Republican Army Chapter 5. Germany, 18701890 Bismarck's Railroad Policy The Reassertion of States' Rights Germany Transformed The Age of St. Gotthard The Consolidation of Military Predominance Chapter 6. Comparisons, 18701890 Administrative Organization Economic Competition Military Strategy PART III: INTERNAL AND INTERNATIONAL TENSIONS Chapter 7. France, 18901914 Recovery and Controversy The Companies Face Nationalization Private Enterprise or Public Service? The Long Stagnation France Prepares for War Chapter 8. Germany, 18901914 The Specter of Prussification Flirting with Unification Low Expectations and High Finance Railroads and the German Take-Off The Consequences of Escalation Chapter 9. Comparisons, 18901914 Administrative Organization Economic Competition Military Strategy Epilogue: From Trains to Trenches List of Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Name Index
Subject Index

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