Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900

by Alfred W. Crosby

Book Overview

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 because in many cases they were achieved by using firearms against spears. Alfred Crosby, however, explains that the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521320097
• ISBN13: 9780521320092
• Release Date: July 1986
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 383 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Eye-opening, well written, and convincing!

This is one of the most revealing books I have ever read. Crosby has made me gasp in awe more times in one paragraph than I have reading most entire books. He explains not only how Eureopean plants, animals, and people are in so many places, but how they got into such a position, what advantages they started out with, which ones they developed, and why they failed in other places.His thesis is convincing because he gives several examples to prove his point, to show how his theory worked in each of these cases. I wish there were more books that were written so clearly and irrefutably. Written with the power of a true historian yet with the thrill of an action movie, it's a rare combination of skill.If you liked the subject of Guns, Germs, and Steel, you'll find this book to be even more exciting and easier to read.

Biological winners and losers

This is an excellent book on how and why the Europeans were able to conquer North America, Australia, temperate South America (particularly Argentina), and New Zealand--the so-called Neo-Europes, in Crossby's terminology. Crossby's thesis is simple: the native biota of those places (including humans, of course) did not coevolve with the invaders, and were consequently naive (i.e, unequipped) to deal with them. Or, put another way, the invaders were preadapted to deal with the new conditions, and aggresively advanced, in a teamlike fashion, to encroach the native biota. Crossby also explains why Europeans were not able to conquer other places (such as Greenland, the Labrador region, and the New and Old Worlds tropics), adducing mainly climatic reasons and the lack of technological expertise. To be sure, Crossby's arguments are not new. However, he does a great job at synthesizing an incredible wealth of historical data. His style, oftentimes humorous, also makes of his book an enjoyable read. I would recommend this book to anyone teaching a comprehensive course on the conquest of the places Crossby deals with. It is a much neglected fact that biology played a crucial role in expanding European culture.

Biological losers and winners

'Ecological imperialism: The biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900', by A. W. Crosby, is a cogently argued and well written book. The main thesis of the book is that the expansion by Europeans to the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and a few other enclaves (what Crosby calls the Neo-Europes) wouldn't have succeded if the biota the Europeans brought with them had not suceeded. This biota included not only humans, of course, but pathogens, weeds and grasses, and horses, cattle, goats, and pigs, among the most important. Crosby addresses the reasons why this biota was so succesful in the new territories, and concludes that, in general, the climatic regimes there were sufficiently similar to those of its European origins and the indigenous biota was so 'naive' that 'victory' was almost assured to the invaders. To be sure, this is not an original conclusion, but the wealth of data Crosby uses, along with his synthetic power and sense of humor, makes of this book an enjoyable and thought-provoking read. People interested in searching for the biological causes of the successes (and failures!) of Europeans in the world should read this engaging book.

An unexpected treasure

Professor Crosby is both a historian and a student of ecology; I am neither, yet I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It concerns the unintended displacement of the native plants and animals of the New World by European species, which hitchhiked aboard the boats of Columbus (and other explorers). Sound dry? It's anything but. Crosby has no less a story to tell than the biological reshaping of an entire continent. If you think that humans have only lately been responsible for environmental disruption on a global scale, this book will show you otherwise. Our species is an integral part of our environment, and has been shaping and reshaping it for centuries - a colossal process that has determined which food crops we grow, what species of trees shelter us, what diseases we suffer, even what birds we hear sing at dawn...In short, nature itself is largely manmade. And if an epic, true story isn't enough to lure you to read this book, consider Mr. Crosby's prose - clear, straightforward, even moving. This book changed the way I see the natural world, and was a pleasure to read in the bargain. You can't ask for much more than that.