Crosby – Blog Review
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In Alfred Crosby’s Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, one could get a true sense of the multifaceted change that took place throughout the world beginning in the 1400s. Though there were many causes of the successes of European imperialism, Crosby focused on the expansion of Europe be examining biological strengths and weaknesses. Beginning before the dawn of man and the movement to civilization, Crosby argued that imperialistic Europeans had a natural advantage to the rest of the world due to past predispositions and fortunate circumstances, ultimately giving most credit to the natural and imported flora and fauna of the temperate climates that the Americas, the “Fortunate Isles”, Australia, and New Zealand.
Crosby’s book was well-written and easy for a common, lay reader to understand, often prompting the reader with rhetorical questions or sly remarks, piquing the reader’s interest in a more obscure subject matter. Crosby organized his book in chronological fashion, painting a picture of the world before the dawn of man, then moving through the Neolitihic age and civilization, followed by the failures of European expansion throughout the Middle Ages, and finally outlining the various natural elements that plagued and enhanced the conquest and settlement of numerous islands and three seemingly forgotten continents. A central theme of Crosby’s that arose numerous times was the impact of various kinds of disease, which isn’t generally considered in everyday thought of flora and fauna.
Ultimately, Crosby’s theory on the success of European conquest was very convincing as he does not simply narrow his theory, rather uses all trains of thought, whether traditional or contemporary, as plausible explainations of Europe’s global domination. Crosby coupled his contemporary theory with acceptance of the traditional God, Gold and Glory idea of conquest through technological, military/tactical, and societal advantages over indigenous populations. While he focused primarily on his biological theory, his technique cemented his theory in a way that kept his ideas reasonable in the mind of the reader, who might abandon the more abstract theory of the Neo-Europes. Crosby also increased his credibility by examining perspectives of the past failures of Europeans imperialism, most notably the Norsemen, Crusaders, and even westerners in Siberia, all due to biological and tactical issues.
In regard to Transatlantic history, Crosby’s “new scenario” cannot be underrated. All too often, people take information at face value, not looking deeper to determine whether or not something is true, or whether there are other explainations for the events of this world. While Crosby admited that he wondered how long his theory would endure, he challenged many traditional beliefs of European imperialism with belief that there was something more than just military might or a stronger immune system to being successful in the New World or the South Pacific.
