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Derek W. Spring, Russian imperialism in Asia in 1914.
In the decade before 1914 the preferred policy of the Russian government was to maintain its interests in the bordering independent countries in Asia, by indirect means rather than by annexation, political action or further economic involvement by the state. This policy gave increased importance to the development of Russian trade and private enterprise in these countries as a foundation for the protection of Russian political and strategic interests. By 1914 however there was widespread consciousness in Russian government and commercial circles that this policy was failing. The weakness of the foundations of the Russian commercial effort and the prospective loss of geographical advantages, particularly in the Middle East with the advance of the Baghdad Railway, thus faced the Russian government with a dilemma. It became necessary to accept the equalising of conditions of trade and limitations of Russian investment possibilities, with a consequent loss of economic and ultimately political influence. Or political action must be taken, falling short of unproductive annexation, but reserving by artificial means Russian predominance in those areas of political and strategic importance. Government policy was tending towards this latter solution by 1914 in Turkish Armenia, Persia, Mongolia and northern Manchuria in particular.

Stalinism and Soviet Cinema marks the first attempt to confront systematically the role and influence of Stalin and Stalinism in the history and development of Soviet cinema. The collection provides comprehensive coverage of the antecedents, role and consequences of Stalinism and Soviet cinema, how Stalinism emerged, what the relationship was between the political leadership, the cinema administrators, the film-makers and their films and audiences, and how Soviet cinema is coming to terms with the disintegration of established structures and mythologies. Contributors from Britain, America and