bwaber reviewed The Dawning of the Apocalypse by Gerald Horne
A Speedrun of 16th Century European History and Colonialism
3 stars
Gerald Horne gives a breathless run through of a formative time in world history - the start of systematized slavery, white supremacy, and colonialism. While the 16th century often escapes strong historical consideration since these issues weren't as widespread, Horne catalogs numerous trial runs of these systems, from Jewish persecution in Spain and England to colonial actions on the west coast of Africa and Ireland. The influence of the Ottoman Empire on this enterprise is nicely emphasized here as well.
Unfortunately I did find that this book lacks a coherent narrative, going back and forth in time and often simply listing events one after another without any in-depth analysis of their import. If you're unfamiliar with some of these events it'll be hard to fully grasp their meaning, and even then Horne proceeds with such speed that it's hard to fully internalize the threads that are exposed here.
That being …
Gerald Horne gives a breathless run through of a formative time in world history - the start of systematized slavery, white supremacy, and colonialism. While the 16th century often escapes strong historical consideration since these issues weren't as widespread, Horne catalogs numerous trial runs of these systems, from Jewish persecution in Spain and England to colonial actions on the west coast of Africa and Ireland. The influence of the Ottoman Empire on this enterprise is nicely emphasized here as well.
Unfortunately I did find that this book lacks a coherent narrative, going back and forth in time and often simply listing events one after another without any in-depth analysis of their import. If you're unfamiliar with some of these events it'll be hard to fully grasp their meaning, and even then Horne proceeds with such speed that it's hard to fully internalize the threads that are exposed here.
That being said, this is still an excellent review of a critical era, and for those looking for pointers to further reading this will make a good reference.