Ecological imperialism: the biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900 PDF
Preview Ecological imperialism: the biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900
ECOLOGICAL IMPERIALISM People of European descent form the bulk of the popula- tion in most of the temperate zones of the world - North America, Australia, and New Zealand. The military suc- cesses of European imperialism are easy to explain; in many cases they were a matter of firearms against spears. But as Alfred Crosby explains in this highly original and fascinat- ing book, the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest. European or- ganisms had certain decisive advantages over their New World and Australian counterparts. The spread of Euro- pean disease, flora, and fauna went hand in hand with the growth of population. Consequently, these imperialists be- came proprietors of the most important agricultural lands in the world. Now in a new edition with a new preface, Crosby revisits his now classic work and again evaluates the global historial importance of European ecological expansion. Alfred W. Crosby is Professor Emeritus in American Stud- ies, History, and Geography at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught for more than 20 years. His previous books include America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza 0/1918 (2nd edition, Cambridge, 2003), Throw ing Fire: Projectile Technology through History (Cambridge, 2002), and The Measure of Reality: Quantification and West ern Society, 1250-1600 (Cambridge, 1997). The Measure of Reality was chosen by the Los Angeles Times as one of the 100 most important books of 1997. STUDIES IN ENVIRONMENT AND HISTORY EDITORS Donald Worster University of Kansas J. R. McNeill Georgetown University OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES Donald Worster Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas Kenneth F. Kiple The Caribbean Slave: A Biological History Arthur F. McEvoy The Fisherman's Problem: Ecology and Law in the California Fisheries, 1850-1980 Robert Harms Games against Nature: An Eco-Cultural History of the Nunu of Equatorial Africa Warren Dean Brazil and the Struggle for Rubber: A Study in Environmental History Samuel P. Hays Beauty, Health, and Permanence: Environmental Politics in the United States, 1955-1985 Donald Worster The Ends of the Earth: Perspectives on Modern Environmental History Michael Williams Americans and Their Forests: A Historical Geography Timothy Silver A New Face on the Countryside: Indians, Colonists, and Slaves in the South Atlantic Forests, 1500-1800 Theodore Steinberg Nature Incorporated: Industrialization and the Waters of New England J. R. McNeill The Mountains of the Mediterranean World: An Environmental History Elinor G. K. Melville A Plague of Sheep: Environmental Consequences of the Conquest of Mexico Richard H. Grove Green Imperialism: Colonial Expansion, Tropical Island Edens and the Origins of Environmentalism, 1600-1860 Mark Elvin and Tsui'jung Liu Sediments of Time: Environment and Society in Chinese History Robert B. Marks Tigers, Rice, Silk, and Silt: Environment and Economy in Late Imperial South China Thomas Dunlap Nature and the English Diaspora Andrew C. Isenberg The Destruction of the Bison: An Environmental History Edmund Russell War and Nature: Fighting Humans and Insects with Chemicals from World War I to Silent Spring Judith Shapiro Mao3s War against Nature: Politics and the Environment in Revolutionary China Adam Rome The Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism Nancy J. Jacobs Environment, Power, and Injustice: A South African History Matthew Evenden Fish versus Power: An Environmental History of the Fraser River Ecological Imperialism The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900 Second Edition ALFRED W. CROSBY University of Texas, Austin HI CAMBRIDGE ^0 UNIVERSITY PRESS CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521837323 © Cambridge University Press 1986, 1993, 2004 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1986 Canto edition first published 1993 Second edition first published 2004 10th printing 2009 Printed in the United States of America A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Ecological imperialism : the biological expansion of Europe, 900-1900 / Alfred W. Crosby. - 2nd ed. p. cm. (Studies in the environment and history) Includes biological references and index. ISBN 0-521-83732-4 - ISBN 0-521-84618-4 (pbk.) 1. Human ecology. 2. Europeans - Migrations. 3. Human geography. 4. Biogeography. I. Title. II. Series. GF50.C76 2004 302.4-dc22 2004040401 ISBN 978-0-521-83732-3 Hardback ISBN 978-0-521-54618-8 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. To JULIA AND JAMES TRAUE AND THE STAFF OF THE ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY., WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
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