Robert William Davies (23 April 1925 – 13 April 2021), better known as R. W. Davies or Bob Davies, was a British historian, writer and professor of Soviet Economic Studies at the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
.
Obtaining his PhD in 1954, Davies was promoted to full professor and made chair of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES) at the University of Birmingham in 1965. He retired from active teaching in 1989.
A collaborator and co-author with historian
E. H. Carr
Edward Hallett Carr (28 June 1892 – 3 November 1982) was a British historian, diplomat, journalist and international relations theorist, and an opponent of empiricism within historiography. Carr was best known for '' A History of Soviet Rus ...
on two volumes of his 14-volume ''History of Soviet Russia'', Davies is best known for having carried Carr's work forward into the 1930s with seven additional volumes of
economic history
Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...
under the general title ''The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia''.
Biography
Early years
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Davies served in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
from 1943 to 1946."Professor Bob Davies: Biography," University of Birmingham, www.birmingham.ac.uk/, accessed 4 March 2016. He was stationed in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
from 1945 to 1946.
Academic career
Davies obtained his
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at the University of London in 1950."Professor Bob Davies: Qualifications," University of Birmingham, www.birmingham.ac.uk/, accessed 4 March 2016. He subsequently attended the
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...
, where he obtained his PhD in 1954 in Commerce and Social Science under the supervision of historian Alexander Baykov.
After completing his PhD, Davies was appointed to a post as assistant lecturer at the Institute of Soviet Studies at the
University of Glasgow
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, caption = Coat of arms
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, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, where he would remain until his return to the University of Birmingham in 1956. At Birmingham Davies held a succession of academic titles, including Research Fellow, Lecturer, and Senior Lecturer. Davies was appointed a professor of Soviet Economic Studies by the University of Birmingham in 1965.
In 1963, Davies was named the first director of the Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES) at the University of Birmingham — a post which he would retain until 1978. Davies retired in 1989 and was named Senior Fellow and Emeritus Professor by the university upon his departure from active teaching.
His research contributions in the
history of the Soviet Union
The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...
are recognized by the peers. Davies' papers are housed in the Special Collections department of the University of Birmingham."US125: Papers of R.W. Davies: Preliminary Handlist," University of Birmingham, Special Collections. A temporary register of the Davies' collection, contained in 70 archival boxes, is available.
Davies died in April 2021 at the age of 95.JISC Mail: Professor R.W. (Bob) Davies 1925–2021 /ref>
Works
Monographs
* The Development of the Soviet Budgetary System. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, 1958.
* Science and the Soviet Economy: An Inaugural Lecture Delivered in the University of Birmingham on 18th January 1967. Birmingham: University of Birmingham, 1967.
* A History of Soviet Russia: Foundations of a Planned Economy, 1926—1929: Volume 1. In Two Parts. With E.H. Carr. London: Macmillan, 1969.
* The Soviet Economic Crisis of 1931—1933. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1976.
* The Emergence of the Soviet Economic System, 1927—1934. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1977.
* The Soviet Union. Co-Editor, with Denis J.B. Shaw. London:George Allen & Unwin, 1978
* Soviet Industrial Production, 1928—1937: The Rival Estimates. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1978.
* Capital Investment and Capital Stock in the USSR, 1928—1940: Soviet and Western Estimates. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1982.
* The Socialist Market: A Debate in Soviet Industry, 1932-33. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1982.
* Edward Hallett Carr, 1892—1982. London: British Academy, 1984.
* Materials for a Balance of the Soviet National Economy, 1928—1930. Co-Editor, with Stephen G. Wheatcroft. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, 1985.
* Soviet Defence Industries During the First Five-Year Plan: Supplement. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1987.
* Soviet History in the Gorbachev Revolution: The First Phase. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1987.
* Soviet History in the Gorbachev Revolution. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1989 ISBN 0-253-31604-9
* Soviet official statistics on industrial production, capital stock and capital investment, 1928-41. With J.M. Cooper and M.J. Ilič. Birmingham: Centre for Russian and East European Studies, 1991.
* From Tsarism to the New Economic Policy: Continuity and Change in the Economy of the USSR. Editor. Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in t ...
, 1991.
* The Economic Transformation of the Soviet Union, 1913—1945. Co-Editor, with Stephen G. Wheatcroft. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, 1994. ISBN 0-521-45152-3
* Soviet History in the Yeltsin Era. London: Macmillan, 1997.
* Soviet Economic Development from Lenin to Khrushchev. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer.
Cambridge University Pre ...
, 1998. ISBN 0-521-62260-3
* The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 1: The Socialist Offensive: The Collectivisation of Soviet Agriculture, 1929—1930. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
, 1980.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 2: The Soviet Collective Farm, 1929—1930. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
, 1980.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 3: The Soviet Economy in Turmoil, 1929—1930. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...
, 1989.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 4: Crisis and Progress in the Soviet Economy, 1931—1933. Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1996.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 5: The Years of Hunger: Soviet Agriculture, 1931—1933. With Stephen Wheatcroft. Basingstoke: Palgrave, 2004.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 6: The Years of Progress: The Soviet Economy, 1934—1936. With
Oleg Khlevniuk
Oleg Vitalyevich Khlevniuk ( rus, Олег Витальевич Хлевнюк, born 7 July 1959 Vinnytsia, Ukrainian SSR) is a historian and a senior researcher at the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow.Stephen G. Wheatcroft. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan
Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...
, 2014.
** The Industrialisation of Soviet Russia, Volume 7: The Soviet Economy and the Approach of War, 1937–1939. With
Oleg Khlevniuk
Oleg Vitalyevich Khlevniuk ( rus, Олег Витальевич Хлевнюк, born 7 July 1959 Vinnytsia, Ukrainian SSR) is a historian and a senior researcher at the State Archive of the Russian Federation in Moscow.Stephen G. Wheatcroft. London:
Palgrave Macmillan
Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...
, 2018.
* The Stalin-Kaganovich Correspondence, 1931-36. Co-Editor. New Haven,
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous.
, Yale Universi ...