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Zusatztext "[T]his is a major contribution from an important academic built on decades of experience. I am a better scholar for having read it, and chances are that you will be too." ---James Daschuk, Environmental History Journal Informationen zum Autor Daniel R. Headrick Klappentext "This is a major contribution to historical studies, as well as the study of technological change and economic history. Headrick asks a set of questions that are infrequently discussed, and analyzes them in an interesting way. This will be an important and widely cited book." --Stanley L. Engerman, University of Rochester Zusammenfassung A major history of technology and Western conquest For six hundred years, the nations of Europe and North America have periodically attempted to coerce, invade, or conquer other societies. They have relied on their superior technology to do so, yet these technologies have not always guaranteed success. Power over Peoples examines Western imperialism's complex relationship with technology, from the first Portuguese ships that ventured down the coast of Africa in the 1430s to America's conflicts in the Middle East today. Why did the sailing vessels that gave the Portuguese a century-long advantage in the Indian Ocean fail to overcome Muslim galleys in the Red Sea? Why were the same weapons and methods that the Spanish used to conquer Mexico and Peru ineffective in Chile and Africa? Why didn't America's overwhelming air power assure success in Iraq and Afghanistan? In Power over Peoples , Daniel Headrick traces the evolution of Western technologies—from muskets and galleons to jet planes and smart bombs—and sheds light on the environmental and social factors that have brought victory in some cases and unforeseen defeat in others. He shows how superior technology translates into greater power over nature and sometimes even other peoples, yet how technological superiority is no guarantee of success in imperialist ventures—because the technology only delivers results in a specific environment, or because the society being attacked responds in unexpected ways. Breathtaking in scope, Power over Peoples is a revealing history of technological innovation, its promise and limitations, and its central role in the rise and fall of empire. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgments ix Introduction Imperialism and Technology 1 On Imperialism 1 On Technology 3 The Goal and Organization of This Book 6 Notes 9 Chapter 1: The Discovery of the Oceans! to 1779 11 Five Seafaring Traditions 11 The Portuguese and the Ocean 20 Navigation 27 The Spanish Voyages 32 Completing the Map of the Oceans 41 Conclusion 50 Notes 51 Chapter 2: Eastern Ocean Empires! 1497-1700 59 The Portuguese in the Indian Ocean 59 The Ottoman Challenge 68 The Limits of Portuguese Power 74 The Dutch and the English in the Indian Ocean 79 China! Japan! and the Europeans 84 Conclusion 87 Notes 89 Chapter 3: Horses! Diseases! and the Conquest of the Americas! 1492-1849 95 The First Encounter: The Caribbean 96 The Conquest of Mexico 101 Peru and Chile 112 Argentina and North America 118 Disease and Demography 123 Conclusion 131 Notes 132 Chapter 4: The Limits of the Old Imperialism: Africa and Asia to 1859 139 Sub-Saharan Africa to 1830 139 India to 1746 147 The Military Revolution 151 Plassey and After 154 Reaching the Limit: Afghanistan and the Punjab 158 Reaching the Limit: Algeria! 1830-1850 163 Russia and the Caucasus 167 Conclusion 169 Notes 170 Chapter 5: Steamboat Imperialism! 1807-1898 177 Steamboats in North America 179 Steamers in South Asia 186 Routes to India 188 The Euphrates Route 191 The Red Sea Route 194 Britain and China 197 The Nemesis 200 Steamboats on the Niger 206 Steamboats and the Scramble for Africa 212 Conclusion 216 Notes 217 Chapter 6: Health...
