Ecological Imperialism by Alfred W. Crosby - 1117 Words

In the book Ecological Imperialism: The Biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900 the author, Alfred W. Crosby, answers many questions about the history of European expansion. It is a well written and thought out book with great analogies and detailed information that help the reader understand what exactly Crosby is trying to say. He starts off his book by explaining what the Neo-Europes are. They are a population who settled in the temperate zones and are mainly European descents. The questions he is attempting to explain is why there is a substantial mass of Europeans in these different lands which were so far-flung from Europe. The European emigrants have scattered among many lands in the world, and have become the leading ethnic group in most regions outside of Europe. In addition, Crosby reflects on how the Neo-Europes were able to provide vast food excess. His most important question though, is if European humans have triumphed because of their superiority in arms, organizatio n and fanaticism... or Perhaps the success of European imperialism has a biological, an ecological, component.(p.7) Further in the book Crosby explains his questions to the readers. First and foremost, the history of the stone age is important. The first humans created stepping stones to create a different future that is today. Looking back in history there were massively giant creatures that we couldnt even imagine roaming the earth today. Dating back to the stone age they succeededShow MoreRelatedEcological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe Essay846 Words   |  4 PagesEcological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, by ecological historian Alfred W. Crosby explores how â€Å"portmanteau biota†, helped Europeans to eradicate whole societies in the Neo-Europes (xv, 89). Crosby believes that temperate zones, climates similar to that of Europe, allowed European biota to thrive, which allowed for European expansion. Crosby discusses the Nor se invasions and the Crusades as examples of how Europeans were not able to expand. Crosby claims that climateRead MoreNature Responsible For Success Of Europe s Expansion1987 Words   |  8 Pagesplaces around the world that are not Europe. The author of Ecological Imperialism: the Biological Expansion of Europe, Alfred W. Crosby, makes this question the main point in his book and thoroughly addresses his viewpoint as the answer. The places these people live are what Crosby likes to call, the Neo-Europes, â€Å"lands thousands of kilometers from Europe and from each other† but are lands that are conquered by the Europeans (Crosby 2). Crosby believes that the reason the Europeans were able to succeedRead More The Impact of European Diseases in the New World Essay1987 Words   |  8 Pagesable to combat these new afflictions because they were new to their systems. Small pox, whooping cough, chicken pox, scarlet fever, influenza and many more had long been around in Europe an d the colonists had developed resistance to most of them. (Crosby, 198) When a disease has existed in a community for years, the members of said community develop a natural, inherited defense after some generations. After initial entrance, the disease runs through the population and the more susceptible individualsRead More Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the New World3721 Words   |  15 Pagesadulthood were immune because of this. When smallpox is contracted during childhood one either fights it off or dies. Statistics show eighty percent of smallpox victims were under ten years of age, and seventy percent were under two years of age (Crosby, 1986). Smallpox was truly a childhood disease. Small pox was not the only infectious disease to invade Europe. Measles, diphtheria, wooping cough, chicken pox, malaria, typhoid fever, yellow fever, scarlet fever, and influenza also struck EuropeRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Liv es and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthe planetary environment. From multinational corporations to impoverished peasants burning away the rain forest for land to plant their crops or pasture their cattle, he seeks to identify the specific agents responsible for both pollution and ecological degradation. And he tracks underlying trends and factors—such as rapid population growth, rampant consumerism, and global warfare—that have contributed to global climate change. Tucker concludes his rather pessimistic assessment of these key