Wiring the world
Subtitle: the social and cultural creation of global telegraph networks
By: Simone M. Müller
Series: Columbia studies in international and global history
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 371
ISBN-13: 9780231174329; 9780231540261
Subjects: Transatlantic cables; Economic aspects; Telegraph; History
Description: 'Wiring the World' is a cultural and social history that explores how the large Anglo-American cable companies won out over alternative visions. Bitter rivalries emerged over telegram prices, visions for world peace, scientific innovation, and the role of the nation-state. Such struggles determined the growth of cable technology, which in turn influenced world history. Filled with fascinating characters and new insights into pivotal events, it traces globalisation's diverse paths and close ties to business and politics.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Acknowledgements; title: Introduction: actors of globalization and the wiring of the world; title: Atlantic beginnings : the class of 1866 and the formation of "telegraphic" networks; title: Come to wire the world : world economy and the battle for Atlantic cable supremacy; title: The imagined globe : of the electric union, universal peace and the "great civilizer"; title: Weltcommunication : economic intelligence, global news and "social messaging"; title: The world's telegraphic knowledge and the professionalization of the telegraph engineer; title: The politics of the world's electric nerves : strategic nationalism, cable diplomacy, and imperial control; title: Conclusion: the class of 1866 and globalization; title: Appendix: the actors' biographies; title: Bibliography.