Journal | Annali di Ca’ Foscari. Serie orientale
Monographic journal issue | 57 | Supplemento | 2021
Research Article | From Matchlocks to Machine Guns: The Modernisation of the Tibetan Army’s Firearms Between Local Production and Import (1895-1950)
From Matchlocks to Machine Guns: The Modernisation of the Tibetan Army’s Firearms Between Local Production and Import (1895-1950)
Abstract
Between 1895 and 1950, the Tibetan government took several steps to improve the firearms and artillery of its troops, setting up local factories and negotiating with foreign powers to purchase arms manufactured abroad. These imports were directly related to the political relationship with these countries and required the introduction and diffusion of new knowledge and techniques among Tibetan troops. Based on Tibetan and English sources, this article discusses some of the challenges met by the Tibetan government in this process and gives an overview of the variety of modern firearms that the Tibetan army used in the early twentieth century.
Submitted: March 17, 2021 | Accepted: July 27, 2021 | Published Dec. 10, 2021 | Language: en
Keywords British Raj • Tibetan history • Arms imports • Qing China • Weapons • Arm production • Younghusband Expedition • British India • Tibet • Arsenal • Firearms • Matchlocks • Artillery • Small arms
Copyright © 2021 Alice Travers. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/AnnOr/2385-3042/2021/02/006
