Ecological Imperialism
The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900–1900

A fascinating study of the important role of biology in European expansion, from 900 to 1900.

Alfred W. Crosby (Author)

9781107569874, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 October 2015

388 pages, 27 b/w illus.
21.6 x 13.8 x 1.8 cm, 0.57 kg

Review of previous edition: 'In telling his very readable story, Mr Crosby combines a historian's taste for colorful detail with a scientist's hunger for unifying and testable generalization … [He] shows that there is more to history than kings and battles, and more to ecology than fruits and nuts.' The Wall Street Journal

People of European descent form the bulk of the population in most of the temperate zones of the world - North America, Australia and New Zealand. The military successes of European imperialism are easy to explain; in many cases they were a matter of firearms against spears. But as Alfred W. Crosby maintains in this highly original and fascinating book, the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest. European organisms had certain decisive advantages over their New World and Australian counterparts. The spread of European disease, flora and fauna went hand in hand with the growth of populations. Consequently, these imperialists became proprietors of the most important agricultural lands in the world. In the second edition, Crosby revisits his now classic work and again evaluates the global historical importance of European ecological expansion.

1. Prologue
2. Pangaea revisited, the Neolithic reconsidered
3. The Norse and the Crusaders
4. The Fortunate Isles
5. Winds
6. Within reach, beyond grasp
7. Weeds
8. Animals
9. Ills
10. New Zealand
11. Explanations
12. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: General & world history [HBG], History [HB]