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Henry Hobhouse
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Forces of Change: An Unorthodox View of History Hardcover – January 1, 1990

by Henry Hobhouse (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 9
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Argues that the modern world has been shaped far more by the forces of population growth, food supply, and disease than by any conscious action of humankind, demonstrating the interaction and interdependence of these three forces
Previous page
  1. Print length
    264 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Arcade Pub
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1990
  5. ISBN-10
    1559700874
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1559700870
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cortes set forth from Spain in 1518 with some 30 horses. Multiplying in Mexico and Texas, horses altered the plains' ecology and turned many once-agricultural Indians into hunters who followed buffalo all year long. This switch, suggests Hobhouse ( Seeds of Change ), precipitated whites' deliberate extermination of the buffalo herds, sealing the fate of Indians and buffalo. This maverick history of the past five centuries comprises a mixture of insight, speculation and oversimplification. Hobhouse's main thesis is that the dynamics of population growth, disease and food supply shape the course of history. He throws sharp light on the effects of the bubonic plague on pre-modern Europe, and on disease (smallpox, influenza, measles, etc.) as an "agent of imperialism" that decimated native peoples with whom whites came in contact. Japan's 200-year isolation, he argues, saved the country from European domination and made possible a modern resurgence. Hobhouse's closing futurist scenario embraces recycling, environmental cleanup, nuclear fusion and genetic engineering.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Students of the world ecosystem, as well as those of comparative world history during the last 500 years, will find this cleverly written survey informative and provocative. It is a discussion of the Malthusian proposition that humankind always multiplies faster than the available food supply, but population is held in check by disease, war, and natural disaster. Based on wide reading, rich in interesting material drawn from all parts of the globe, the book explores the question as to how countries have solved the problem of equitable food supply. Since others have tackled this problem, the book is not so "unorthodox"; Hobhouse's tendency to measure everything against the standard of English development is very insular. Yet, the questions resulting from the fourfold increase in world population in the last century and the massive threats to the environment posed by the greenhouse effect, acid rain, etc., deserve the informed attention this study offers.
- Bennett D. Hill, Georgetown Univ., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade Pub; 1st U.S. ed edition (January 1, 1990)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 264 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1559700874
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1559700870
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 9

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Henry Hobhouse

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
9 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John Allen
4.0 out of 5 stars Well documented and carefully written.
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2021
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I had given away my copy some years ago and wished to read this excellent work again.
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Ruth P. Roberts
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting!
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
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The information is very interesting but the sequencing is difficult to follow.

His approach to understanding what influences change is unique.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Thomas Vachon
5.0 out of 5 stars Pas toujours exact mais fait réfléchir
Reviewed in Canada on October 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
Un livre qui fait réfléchir, éloigné des manières habituelles de raconter l'histoire de l'humanité. Quelques inexactitudes et préjugés datés par moments, mais les réflexions provoquées valent l'achat (surtout que je ne l'ai pas payé cher).
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G. J. Christian
5.0 out of 5 stars What they didn't teach you at school!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2008
Verified Purchase
After reading the excellent  Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind  and  Seeds of Wealth: Five Plants That Made Men Rich , this was a "must-buy". Henry Hobhouse presents a view of the last 500 years of history and how it was shaped by three natural forces: population growth, food supply and disease. Thoroughly researched with notes at the back to explain some points further without necessarily interrupting the flow of the main narrative, this will get you gripped.
5 people found this helpful
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