“The history of the world has a geography. And geography has a history,” writes Christian Grataloup.
The French geographer has already shown these connections in two extensive maps. His new book on the subject also includes a section of maps that you could spend days with. But the focus here is clearly on the text. Grataloup shows that the historical development of societies must always be viewed in conjunction with their geographical environment. This idea runs like a common thread through his narrative of human history.
The ability of humans to adapt to different ecosystems made it possible to spread over large parts of the earth early on. Over 10,000 years ago, independent societies existed on all continents that initially had little contact with each other. From the 13th century onwards, the “Axis of the Old World”, a network of trade and transport routes from China to the Mediterranean, a forerunner of today’s globalized world. With the “discovery” of America, humanity became even closer together, albeit to the chagrin of the indigenous populations.
Since the 19th century, rapid technical progress has accelerated development again. Large spatial distances became easier to overcome, and at the same time the economic gap between rich and poor societies grew. In addition, the ruthless use of natural resources and the effects of the fossil age were becoming increasingly noticeable. Climate change and other crises are now forcing many people to leave their traditional environments, which in turn is changing the societies that these movements target. Grataloup makes it clear: “Geohistory” is far from reaching its end point.
A worthwhile book for anyone who likes to think big picture. In places, however, the author would have liked to have been a little briefer in his knowledgeable explanations. Christopher Walter
Christian Grataloup
Geohistory – The power of geography in world history
CH Beck Verlag, 390 pages, € 38,–
ISBN 978-3-406-83726-5