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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
This is a stunning read. For any semi-serious student of history, it will seem overly broad and general; Frankopan covers 5000 years of history in about 530 pages, so obviously it's not comprehensive. Despite that, however, it is a fascinating and surprisingly detailed overview of world history, presented in a clearly written, highly readable style. Its eastern perspective is refreshing, and enlightening. I had to keep putting it aside so I could let my brain make countless connections to other things I had read. It filled out the spotty historical timeline in my head much better than any other broad history I've read, because it refuses to use the West-centric approach that has defined our study of history since "the West" became a thing. Thanks to this book, my scattershot knowledge of history, especially of connections between Europe and Asia, is much more clearly defined. This has also been a great launchpad into further areas of study; the book has 100+ pages of notes and bibliography at the end, which I fully intend to make use of.
I'm giving this four stars because there were a few times where I felt the author drew some pretty pointed conclusions about causes of major events, conclusions that I feel oversimplified things. Examples: the author states that the British Crown's decision to bail out the East India Company in the 1770s was a direct cause of the tea tax that ultimately sparked the American revolution; a history buff friend of mine raised an eyebrow at that one. ("That may have been part of it," he said, "but it had much more to do with the costs of maintaining British territory in the New World and fending off aggression from the French and hostile native tribes.") Or there was this statement about the Nazi invasion of Russia and it's failure to take over the massive grain production of central Asia, which led the Nazis to start looking for ways to eliminate hungry mouths at home: "The failure of the land to generate wheat in the anticipated quantities was a direct cause of the Holocaust." VERY bold statement. The author makes a case for this being part of the reason, but the bluntness of it set me on edge.
Despite this, however, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a big-picture perspective of history, especially now that global power is shifting back to Asia, where it sat for thousands of years before the rise of the West. It's sobering, and gives you something to think about as you watch China's influence expand across the globe.
I'm giving this four stars because there were a few times where I felt the author drew some pretty pointed conclusions about causes of major events, conclusions that I feel oversimplified things. Examples: the author states that the British Crown's decision to bail out the East India Company in the 1770s was a direct cause of the tea tax that ultimately sparked the American revolution; a history buff friend of mine raised an eyebrow at that one. ("That may have been part of it," he said, "but it had much more to do with the costs of maintaining British territory in the New World and fending off aggression from the French and hostile native tribes.") Or there was this statement about the Nazi invasion of Russia and it's failure to take over the massive grain production of central Asia, which led the Nazis to start looking for ways to eliminate hungry mouths at home: "The failure of the land to generate wheat in the anticipated quantities was a direct cause of the Holocaust." VERY bold statement. The author makes a case for this being part of the reason, but the bluntness of it set me on edge.
Despite this, however, I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a big-picture perspective of history, especially now that global power is shifting back to Asia, where it sat for thousands of years before the rise of the West. It's sobering, and gives you something to think about as you watch China's influence expand across the globe.
informative
slow-paced
The Silk Road. Just the very name conjures up images of travellers carrying expensive bolts of cloth, exotic spices and fine ceramics from the Far East to Europe. This road was more than that though, it was how the two separate domains of East and West first encountered each other, was the backdrop to countless wars, as power ebbed and flowed back and forth across the continent. The road has been responsible for the spread of numerous religions over millennia, not just the Abrahamic ones, but Buddhism and Zoroastrianism spread along the route. Great cities grew along the road, which spawned even greater cultures.
Western countries have dominated the planet for the last 500 years but in this book he argues that most of these turning points in history have had some greater or lesser influence from the Silk Road in world history. Not sure I agree with all of the inferences, but I think that he is right in that the fulcrum is tilting world power away from the West and back to the East once again. It is a very detailed, huge, broad-brush view of world history seen through the prism of this ancient route from Europe to the Far East. I had hoped there would be more on the ancient history of place and people that trekked and made their lives from the Silk Road network; there wasn’t sadly, but it was still a good history of the world seen from this perspective. 3.5 Stars overall.
Western countries have dominated the planet for the last 500 years but in this book he argues that most of these turning points in history have had some greater or lesser influence from the Silk Road in world history. Not sure I agree with all of the inferences, but I think that he is right in that the fulcrum is tilting world power away from the West and back to the East once again. It is a very detailed, huge, broad-brush view of world history seen through the prism of this ancient route from Europe to the Far East. I had hoped there would be more on the ancient history of place and people that trekked and made their lives from the Silk Road network; there wasn’t sadly, but it was still a good history of the world seen from this perspective. 3.5 Stars overall.
informative
medium-paced
A great look at just how much of world history has turned around the areas between what we normally think of as The West and The East.
While the attempt to write a new history of the world is admirable and the writing itself is not just informative, but highly entertaining, the book falls short of its goal. The author can’t remove himself from the orientalist perspective that a European might have about the countries of central and East Asia. Rather, he is writing with exactly the same fervour about “the east” as the orientalists of eras long gone that he is trying to critique every few pages for being the ignorant people they are. As such the ambitious goal of the book was not just missed, but his “conclusion chapter” (which should’ve been unnecessary in a historical context) is almost childish.
3.5 stars. Incredibly useful for the bibliography. Less useful if you want to know the west-central Asian perspective on post-medieval history.
I learned a lot about global economics in the European age of empire, and this finally put together for me how Iran got roped into the British/Russian conflict (before oil was discovered). Tying things into Spanish colonial economics was really helpful, as well, though I'm pretty sure there ought to have been a vast segment on the papacy's involvement in driving early modern European empire and how that impacted the silk roads region. I wanna know what the Vatican thought of Safavid Persia, given that they received Safavid gifts. But I suppose that's a different book.
Which is what always happens with a vast survey like this. Pique my interest, then leave me wondering where to find more info in English.
I learned a lot about global economics in the European age of empire, and this finally put together for me how Iran got roped into the British/Russian conflict (before oil was discovered). Tying things into Spanish colonial economics was really helpful, as well, though I'm pretty sure there ought to have been a vast segment on the papacy's involvement in driving early modern European empire and how that impacted the silk roads region. I wanna know what the Vatican thought of Safavid Persia, given that they received Safavid gifts. But I suppose that's a different book.
Which is what always happens with a vast survey like this. Pique my interest, then leave me wondering where to find more info in English.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Thought it was very good as a historical non fiction book. It shed light on trade from around the world from the Romans to the modern day belt and road of China. However, in places it became very textbooky falling several times to listing events without discussing overarching themes, reasons or giving summaries as to the thought process behind certain deals/events. In my opinion this would have added more to the understanding of world trade through the cenuiries.
Some of the coolest events in the book where the Romans at one point were spending nearly 1/4 of their money from materials from the East. Describing how Britain maintained influence and worked the best deals possible to gain power and specifically why they were choosing to influence specific regions -Persia/Iran (new found fuel type- oil in middle east). As well as their interplay and worries of russian aggression and intervention in the M.E. To how America operates a more covert world domination in terms of puppet states and maintaining corruptable/malign leaders who will give them easy trade access.
Opens the eyes as to why countries seem to operate with seemingly selfish interests to better their own population, and how easy exploitation is with corrupt leaders and how this may affect the general population from home or abroad.
Some of the coolest events in the book where the Romans at one point were spending nearly 1/4 of their money from materials from the East. Describing how Britain maintained influence and worked the best deals possible to gain power and specifically why they were choosing to influence specific regions -Persia/Iran (new found fuel type- oil in middle east). As well as their interplay and worries of russian aggression and intervention in the M.E. To how America operates a more covert world domination in terms of puppet states and maintaining corruptable/malign leaders who will give them easy trade access.
Opens the eyes as to why countries seem to operate with seemingly selfish interests to better their own population, and how easy exploitation is with corrupt leaders and how this may affect the general population from home or abroad.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A survey of world history from the perspective of the countries of the Silk Roads.
Listened to on audio. An *excellent* audio reading, highly recommended--but it's looooong.
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't a complete revisioning of history from a trade-centric perspective. I think that's on me, but it did come as something of a surprise. Where other history books talk about ideology and how it causes wars, this book talks about how trade causes ideology. I found it fascinating. The closer we approached modern times, the more interesting it became.
Highly recommended for readers of history.
Listened to on audio. An *excellent* audio reading, highly recommended--but it's looooong.
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't a complete revisioning of history from a trade-centric perspective. I think that's on me, but it did come as something of a surprise. Where other history books talk about ideology and how it causes wars, this book talks about how trade causes ideology. I found it fascinating. The closer we approached modern times, the more interesting it became.
Highly recommended for readers of history.