Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe
The world as we know it would not be what it is had it not been for the evolution of trade and globalization in years gone by. Alfred Crosby's informative novel Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 focuses on the ecological side of European expansion. Through his work, the author attempts to demonstrate how the European people were successful in gaining possession of the temperate lands mainly due to expansion of plants, animals and even pathogens which they housed. An intriguing and informative record, Ecological Imperialism enriches the reader with numerous arguments which are explored and explained. To develop his arguments, Crosby "builds on his earlier [book] Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 and William H. McNeill's Plagues and Peoples" In doing so, the main argument developed is that of the Europeans' domination of the temperate zones being successful due mainly in part to biological factors. This argument is appropriately summarized on page 63 of the text, wherein Crosby writes,Westerners throughout history who have gone to the eastern Mediterranean to fight wars have believed their chief problems to be military, logistical, and diplomatic, and possib
Livestock such as pigs and cattle were able to dominate native biotic niches and European germs swept aside the native people. The expansive amounts of data which Crosby employs raises numerous questions and sufficient answers on the thought provoking journey that becomes the text. This review touches on each important aspect of the book, while putting emphasis on the most important arguments. Further development dwells on a vast majority of convincingly accurate information from many years passed. The detailed explanation of the Homo Sapiens' importance as well as that of the Norse, the spreading of pathogens and the Marinheiros summarizes the record in a detailed and interesting fashion. To speak of the domination of the indigenous people without immersing oneself in Crosby's take on the subject would be to possess a flawed and uneducated opinion. Crosby devotes a key chapter of the text to discussion regarding the significance of New Zealand as it possesses the historical background with the most documentation and accuracy. The author concludes by persuading the prospective reader that "there can hardly be a historian anywhere who will not learn a great deal from [this work]" . It is for these reasons that the European people were able to defeat the Indigenous people in New Zealand, America and Australia. Although these are important aspects in Crosby's work, they serve simply as evidence by which the main argument is developed. One of the only writers to touch on the weaknesses of the book, Scammell mentions that the detail and writing style can at times become tedious and tiresome. The review continues by providing a brief synopsis of the book, outlining many of its' important contrasts and arguments. In contrast to other reviews, this column places a large emphasis on the spreading of diseases, causes and effects. Serving as more of an informative review than a critical review, the article summarizes Crosby's main argument as the European settlement being far more successful in temperate zones than in the tropics.
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