In Heyday, the acclaimed historian Ben Wilson recreates this time of explosive energy and dizzying change, a rollercoaster ride of booms and busts. The 1850s were witness to the laying of the first undersea cable in 1851, the rush for gold from California to Australia, and fleets of pirate vessels docked in Hong Kong harbor, eager to take advantage of booming trade. The West's insatiable hunger for land, natural resources, and new markets encouraged free trade, bold exploration, and colonization like never before.
Buoyed by supreme self-confidence — as well as new technologies of war — nations clashed across the globe, and indigenous peoples fell victim to an assurgent West. Reckless economic expansion led to lasting ecological damage, and to the demise of local cultures which could not keep pace with the blistering pace of capitalism and free trade. In Heyday we encounter Muslim guerrilla fighters in the Caucasus Mountains and freelance empire-builders in the jungles of Nicaragua, British free trade zealots preying on China and samurai warriors resisting Western incursions in Japan.
A dazzling history of a tumultuous decade, Heyday traces the origins of our globalized world order.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 26, 2016 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780465098705
- File size: 14369 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780465098705
- File size: 14369 KB
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Accessibility
No publisher statement provided -
Languages
- English
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