{"product_id":"late-victorian-holocausts-isbn-9781784786625","title":"Late Victorian Holocausts","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis global environmental and political history “will redefine the way we think about the European colonial project” (\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e“ . . . sets the triumph of the late 19th-century Western imperialism in the context of catastrophic El Niño weather patterns at that time . . . groundbreaking, mind-stretching.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Examining a series of El Niño-induced droughts and the famines that they spawned around the globe in the last third of the 19th century, Mike Davis discloses the intimate, baleful relationship between imperial arrogance and natural incident that combined to produce some of the worst tragedies in human history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eLate Victorian Holocausts\u003c\/i\u003e focuses on three zones of drought and subsequent famine: India, Northern China; and Northeastern Brazil. All were affected by the same global climatic factors that caused massive crop failures, and all experienced brutal famines that decimated local populations. But the effects of drought were magnified in each case because of singularly destructive policies promulgated by different ruling elites.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Davis argues that the seeds of underdevelopment in what later became known as the Third World were sown in this era of High Imperialism, as the price for capitalist modernization was paid in the currency of millions of peasants’ lives.\u003cb\u003eWinner of the World History Association Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Davis has given us a book of substantial contemporary relevance as well as great historical interest … this highly informative book goes well beyond its immediate focus.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Amartya Sen, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Davis’s range is stunning … He combines political economy, meteorology, and ecology with vivid narratives to create a book that is both a gripping read and a major conceptual achievement. Lots of us talk about writing ‘world history’ and ‘interdisciplinary history’: here is the genuine article.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kenneth Pomeranz, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Great Divergence\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The global climate meets a globalizing political economy, the fundamentals of one clashing with the fundamentalisms of the other. Mike Davis tells the story with zest, anger, and insight.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Stephen J. Pyne, author of \u003ci\u003eWorld Fire\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Davis, a brilliant maverick scholar, sets the triumph of the late-nineteenth-century Western imperialism in the context of catastrophic El Niño weather patterns at that time ... This is groundbreaking, mind-stretching stuff.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eLate Victorian Holocausts\u003c\/i\u003e will redefine the way we think about the European colonial project. After reading this, I defy even the most ardent nationalist to feel proud of the so-called ‘achievements’ of empire.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Devastating.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Generations of historians largely ignored the implications [of the great famines of the late nineteenth century] and until recently dismissed them as ‘climatic accidents’ … \u003ci\u003eLate Victorian Holocausts\u003c\/i\u003e proves them wrong.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e (Best Books of 2001)  \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wide ranging and compelling … a remarkable achievement.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A masterly account of climatic, economic and colonial history.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew Scientist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A hero of the Left, Davis is part polemicist, part historian, and all Marxist.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Dale Peck, \u003ci\u003eVillage Voice\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The catalogue of cruelty Davis has unearthed is jaw-dropping … \u003ci\u003eLate Victorian Holocausts\u003c\/i\u003e is as ugly as it is compelling.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Sukhdev Sandhu, \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Controversial, comprehensive, and compelling, this book is megahistory at its most fascinating—a monument to times past, but hopefully not a predictor of future disasters.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eForeign Affairs\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Devastating.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eMike Davis\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of several books including \u003ci\u003eCity of Quartz\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Monster at Our Door\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eBuda’s Wagon\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003ePlanet of Slums\u003c\/i\u003e. He is the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and the Lannan Literary Award. A resident of San Diego, California, he passed away in October 2022 at the age of 76.","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303195398373,"sku":"NP9781784786625","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781784786625.jpg?v=1767731185","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/late-victorian-holocausts-isbn-9781784786625","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}