A trio of American manufacturers had emerged whose products were now world famous — Colt, Winchester, and Remington. As early as 1851, at the London World’s Fair, American rifles were a sensation, and they received medals. FULL ARTICLE by H.C. Engelbrecht and F. C. Hanighen
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/12849/american-musketeers/
American Musketeers
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This is an intriguing article and I admit I enjoyed reading it. I must say, however, I am at a bit of a loss to understand the connection to Austrian economics unless it is to emphasize the importance of American ingenuity in factory production …not a particularly Austrian insight and could equally be presented by an essay on Henry Ford (who loved the state almost as much as gun manufactures). Likewise, this article hasn’t much a libertarian can cleave to unless it is to remind us of the obscene wealth all weapons manufacturers suck from the tit of violent and murderous states, both foreign and domestic.
It’s an excerpt from Merchants of Death, which is making just the point you are. At least that’s my understanding from the summary of it. Haven’t got around to reading it quite yet.
Yes, I think you are probably correct Nathan. While the excerpt comes off as a gushing prideful hymn to American production ingenuity, the last paragraph seems to place things in focus, i.e., “death machine” … especially consider what day it is today.
“Colt, Winchester, and Remington illustrate the importance of the Industrial Revolution in the arms industry. The machine-made rifle and pistol with their interchangeable parts were bound to win out over the best products of skilled artisans turning out hand-fashioned guns. All nations who could afford the new death machine, with its technical perfection, equipped their armies with these inventions of American ingenuity.”
As an aside, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what percentage of Americans killed and maimed in foreign wars were killed by an enemy using weapons made in the USA or by their licensed offshore manufactures.
I’m not sure about US casualties, but the Maxim machine gun invented and patented in Britain was used by the German army in WW1, most notably in the Battle of the Somme in which 57,000 British soldiers were killed.
Upon further review, I remember hearing how the Sioux used Winchester repeating rifles to successfully defeat General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Which to me illustrates the ability these manufactures gave to individuals to defend themselves, as governments have, and continue, to show a disregard for cost when procuring weapons.
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