England and the Aeroplane. Militarism, modernity and machines

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  • Name Government procurement
  • Name Research & development inc operational research

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Originally published as 'England and the Aeroplane. An essay on a militant and technological nation', Macmillan, 1991. In a wide ranging account redefines the role of aircraft and airpower in English political and economic history - the writer 'reverses received wisdom, showing that the aeroplane is a central and revealing aspect of an unfamiliar English nation: a warfare state dedicated to technology, industry, empire and military power'. In this considers and reappraises the significance of the aircraft production industry largely from the 1930s to the post war years. Chapters include: 'Strange birth of aeronautical England'; 'Technology and empire'; 'Going up for air'; 'The many and the few'; 'The sonic boom of the scientific revolution'