Customer Reviews

The Dynamics of Global Dominance: European Overseas Empires, 1415-1980

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
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This book covers the whole period of European overseas empires, i.e., from the beginning of the XV century up to the end of the XX century.

Perhaps its flaw, if any, is the lack of an explanation of why or how the Europeans were able to conquer said empires. This issue is linked to one of the most controversial issues nowadays on long-term and comparative history: why Western countries have dominated the world during the last few centuries. To put it in a nutshell (quoting from J.M. Blaut, "Eight eurocentric historians"): "Europe acquired incalculable riches from the Americas after 1492. This led to the rise to political power of the merchant-capitalist class and its allies, and in many others ways led, directly and indirectly, to the awakening of Europeans to the rest of the world and the transformation of Europe's society and economy". Also on this line, "The Great Divergence", by Kennetz Pomeranz, and [according to one review I have read], Clive Ponting's world history [but I warm that I have not read this last book yet].

Apart from that, the book is excellent. By means of comparative analysis, it tries (and, as far as I am concerned, he achieves his goal) to provide a global explanations of the phases of imperial expansion and contraction, the factors accounting for imperial expansion, and then contraction, and also sets up rational criteria that may lead on the future to the moral evaluation of colonialism [he gives his own and nuanced opinion on this matter].

Perhaps, as a Spaniard myself, I would have appreciated some more analysis on the Spanish empire. It would have been very useful if Mr. Abernethy had examined and passed judgment on the Spanish Empire in America and its "Black Legend". I bet it would have been worth reading that.

I have rated it four starts. Considering its content, I think it should be five; considering its readability, three. In any event, I do recommend it to read it.

Professor Abernethy's massive summary of European imperialism spans over 500 years and encompasses every major Empire. Its genius is its specific approach: it boils an almost unmanagably large topic down to concise and clear patterns. In all its detail and variation and intricacy, imperialism did have broad and distinct phases. The discipline of history deals with the former, bottom-up approach- individual stories, specific locations, small incidents- and sruggles to create an overall framework of imperialism. But as a political scientist- somebody who deals with models and theories- Abernethy has the adacity to organize colonialism into a coherent phenomenon. The reader is greatly rewarded by this approach: he or she gains a broad overview of how modernity came to be.