Arms and the State

Arms and the State is a history of Britain's first modern armaments company, Sir William G. Armstrong Whitworth Company, from 1854 to 1914. The study focuses on Sir William G. Armstrong, an engineer and entrepreneur who transformed his mechanical engineering business into a vast industrial enterprise which manufactured and sold heavy guns and warships globally. Bastable discusses such varied topics as the social and political nature of technological innovation; the impact of armaments on British politics; defence policies; the international arms trade; and imperialism.