
Empires of the Weak
The Real Story of European Expansion and the Creation of the New World Order
J. C. Sharman(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 10. November 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
216 pages
978-0-691-21007-0 (ISBN)
Description
How the rise of the West was a temporary exception to the predominant world order
What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other civilizations from 1500 onward. In contrast, Empires of the Weak argues that Europeans actually had no general military superiority in the early modern era. J. C. Sharman shows instead that European expansion from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries is better explained by deference to strong Asian and African polities, disease in the Americas, and maritime supremacy earned by default because local land-oriented polities were largely indifferent to war and trade at sea. Empires of the Weak demonstrates that the rise of the West was an exception in the prevailing world order.
What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other civilizations from 1500 onward. In contrast, Empires of the Weak argues that Europeans actually had no general military superiority in the early modern era. J. C. Sharman shows instead that European expansion from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries is better explained by deference to strong Asian and African polities, disease in the Americas, and maritime supremacy earned by default because local land-oriented polities were largely indifferent to war and trade at sea. Empires of the Weak demonstrates that the rise of the West was an exception in the prevailing world order.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
350 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-21007-0 (9780691210070)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

J. C. Sharman
Empires of the Weak
The Real Story of European Expansion and the Creation of the New World Order
E-Book
01/2019
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
from
€79.95
Available for download
Person
J. C. Sharman is the Sir Patrick Sheehy Professor of International Relations at the University of Cambridge, where he is a fellow of King's College. His books include The Despot's Guide to Wealth Management, International Order in Diversity, and Outsourcing Empire.