Empires of the Weak

The Real Story of European Expansion and the Creation of the New World

By: J. C. Sharman

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

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 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.

Europeans were overawed by the mighty Eastern empires of the day, which pioneered key military innovations and were the greatest early modern conquerors. Against the view that the Europeans won for all time, Sharman contends that the imperialism of the late19th and early 20th centuries was a relatively transient and anomalous development in world politics that concluded with Western losses in various insurgencies. If the 21st century is to be dominated by non-Western powers like China, this represents a return to the norm for the modern era.

©2019 Princeton University Press (P)2019 Tantor

Excellent, and super clear

I rarely listen to non-fiction since I find it harder to follow and remember 1000 details often unrelated by a plot. However, this book was different, no diubt aided my the lovely-voiced John Lee. Sharman’s brilliant thesis is proven very persuasively. I am very knowledgeable about China so that was my touchstone and his scholarship there was impeccable! Highly rec’d

a great read

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While I disagree with some of the author's thesis, the argument presented is well-structured and the information is presented succinctly. The author's writing style is excellent and the narration is engaging. Overall, a great read.