Global Crisis

War, Climate and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Environment, Weather, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Politics, History & Theory, History, World History
Cover of the book Global Crisis by Professor Geoffrey Parker, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Professor Geoffrey Parker ISBN: 9780300189193
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: March 15, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Professor Geoffrey Parker
ISBN: 9780300189193
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: March 15, 2013
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

Revolutions, droughts, famines, invasions, wars, regicides, government collapses—the calamities of the mid-seventeenth century were unprecedented in both frequency and extent. The effects of what historians call the "General Crisis" extended from England to Japan, from the Russian Empire to sub-Saharan Africa. The Americas, too, did not escape the turbulence of the time.

In this meticulously researched volume, master historian Geoffrey Parker presents the firsthand testimony of men and women who saw and suffered from the sequence of political, economic, and social crises between 1618 to the late 1680s. Parker also deploys the scientific evidence of climate change during this period. His discoveries revise entirely our understanding of the General Crisis: changes in prevailing weather patterns, especially longer winters and cooler and wetter summers, disrupted growing seasons and destroyed harvests. This in turn brought hunger, malnutrition, and disease; and as material conditions worsened, wars, rebellions, and revolutions rocked the world.

Parker's demonstration of the link between climate change, war, and catastrophe 350 years ago stands as an extraordinary historical achievement. And the implications of his study are equally important: are we adequately prepared—or even preparing—for the catastrophes that climate change brings?

Revolutions, droughts, famines, invasions, wars, regicides, government collapses—the calamities of the mid-seventeenth century were unprecedented in both frequency and extent. The effects of what historians call the "General Crisis" extended from England to Japan, from the Russian Empire to sub-Saharan Africa. The Americas, too, did not escape the turbulence of the time.

In this meticulously researched volume, master historian Geoffrey Parker presents the firsthand testimony of men and women who saw and suffered from the sequence of political, economic, and social crises between 1618 to the late 1680s. Parker also deploys the scientific evidence of climate change during this period. His discoveries revise entirely our understanding of the General Crisis: changes in prevailing weather patterns, especially longer winters and cooler and wetter summers, disrupted growing seasons and destroyed harvests. This in turn brought hunger, malnutrition, and disease; and as material conditions worsened, wars, rebellions, and revolutions rocked the world.

Parker's demonstration of the link between climate change, war, and catastrophe 350 years ago stands as an extraordinary historical achievement. And the implications of his study are equally important: are we adequately prepared—or even preparing—for the catastrophes that climate change brings?

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book Making Way for Genius: The Irish Aristocracy in the Seventeenth Century by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Croatia: A Nation Forged in War by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Remoteness and Modernity by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Romeo and Juliet by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book The Great Alignment by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book The Life of the Virgin: Maximus the Confessor by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book The Aisles Have Eyes by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book The Science of Human Perfection: How Genes Became the Heart of American Medicine by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Fugitive Landscapes by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Reclaiming the Petition Clause: Seditious Libel, ',Offensive', Protest, and the Right to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances' by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book The Letters of T.S. Eliot: Volume 3: 1926-28 by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book An Introduction to the New Testament by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book A Darwinian Left by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Discography by Professor Geoffrey Parker
Cover of the book Democracy and the Origins of the American Regulatory State by Professor Geoffrey Parker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy