The tsarist economy, 1850-1917 /

Gatrell (University of Manchester, UK) provides a solid and concise survey of key aspects of the development of the Russian economy from the middle of the 19th century to the 1917 Revolution. For an analytical framework he draws upon alternative interpretations of Russian economic development. The ``liberal'' view concentrates on the interactions between a backward agricultural sector and a dynamic industrial sector. The ``populist'' conception rejects the notion of a labor surplus in agriculture and thus the need for investment in large-scale factories. The ``Marxist-Leninist'' approach stresses differentiation and struggle among classes. From these perspectives, Gatrell examines population growth and the labor market, the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, and investment and finance. The volume includes many notes, several maps, tables, a detailed index, and a selective bibliography of major works in English, French, and German. This book is broader in scope and less technical than Paul R. Gregory, Russian National Income, 1885-1913 (1982). Gatrell's literary style is clear, and the technical level is accessible to advanced undergraduate economics majors, but the subjects covered and the material presented on them make the book more appropriate for graduate students and faculty.-M. Bornstein, University of Michigan