----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert J. Chassell" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 6:38 PM Subject: Re: An armed society ...
> The greatest effect firearms have had upon history is to remove > the advantage the large and powerful have always had over the > small and weak. > > Is that true in a practical sense? Tzarist Russian was called a > `musket empire' because its soldiers used muskets to put down the > natives. Indeed, I believe I have to qualify my statement and make it clear that it applies to the level of individuals. At the level of groups the large and powerful retain all advantages over smaller and weaker groups. > > In the 19th century in the United States, the Colt revolver was > called > `the great equalizer' since it meant that women could act as > feminists > and not be raped and killed by men as a consequence. Do you suppose that William Bonney would have achieved notoriety if he had only had edged weapons to draw upon? > In the 19th > century, was that phrase merely a hope rather than an actuality? (I > am speaking of large social movements, not the actions of a few in > places like Wyoming.) I think you are right to separate the individual from the group on this question. With regard to your question, I would think it is something of a mixed bag. Frex: How would the westward movement of settlers have been implimented without weaponry superior (in most but not all ways) to the weaponry available to the aboriginal residents (Injuns pardner)? Having no expertise on this subject, conjecture leads me to think that individuals in possession of superior firepower would be a deterrent to raids and/or aboriginal insurgency in cases where (aboriginal) numbers were low enough to give advantage to the better armed group. But if the numbers of aboriginals were large enough and their weaponry good enough to "close the gap", then superior weaponry is of little use. Certainly this follows from general principles of warfare, at least I would think it is so. xponent Aboriginal Amateur Hour Maru rob _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
