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Every human activity entails the conversion of energy. Changes in the fundamental sources of energy, and in the use of energy sources, are a basic dimension of the evolution of society. Our appreciation of the significance of these processes is essential to a fuller understanding of world history. Vaclav Smil offers a comprehensive look at the role of energy in world history, ranging from human muscle-power in foraging societies and animal-power in traditional farming to preindustrial hydraulic techniques and modern fossil-fueled civilization. The book combines a vast historical sweep with cross-cultural comparisons and is enhanced by illustrations and accessible quantitative material. Students and general readers alike will gain an understanding of energy’s fundamental role in human progress. Smil illuminates the role played by various means of harnessing energy in different societies and provides new insights by explaining the impact and limitations of these fundamental physical inputs — whether it is in the cultivation of crops, smelting of metals, waging of war, or the mass production of goods. While examining the energetic foundations of historical changes, Energy in World History avoids simplistic, deterministic views of energy needs and recognizes the complex interplay of physical and social realities.
Acknowledgments.
Energy and Society.
Flows, Stores, and Controls.
Concepts and Measures.
Complexities and Caveats.
Appendixes.
Energy in Prehistory.
Foraging Societies.
Origins of Agriculture.
Appendixes.
Traditional Agriculture.
Commonalities and Peculiarities.
Field Work.
Dominance of Crains.
Cropping Cycles.
Routes to Intensification.
Draft Animals.
Irrigation.
Fertilization.
Crop Diversity.
Persistence and Innovation.
Egypt.
China.
Mesoamerica.
Europe.
North America.
Lim its of Traditional Fanning.
Achievements.
Nutrition.
Limits.
Appendixes.
Preindustrial Prime Movers and Fuels .
Prime Movers and Biomass Fuels.
Animate Power.
Water arul Wind.
Explosives.
Biomass Energies.
Household Needs.
Food Preparation.
Heat and Light.
Transportation and Construction.
Moving on Land.
Shipping.
Building.
Metallurgy.
Nonferrous Metals.
Iron and Steel.
Appendixes.
Fossil-Fueled Civilization.
The Great Transition.
Beginnings and Diffusion of Coal Extraction.
Steam Engines.
Oil and Internal Combustion Engines.
Electricity.
Technical Innovation.
Fuels and Electricity.
Prime Movers.
Metals.
Fertilizers and Pesticides.
Weapons.
Unprecedented Power and Its Uses.
Energy in Agriculture.
Industrialization.
Transportation.
Information and Communication.
Economic Growth.
Consequences and Concerns.
Urbanization.
Standard of Living.
Political Implications.
Warfare.
Environmental Changes.
Appendixes.
Energy in World History.
Grand Patterns of Energy Use.
Energy Eras and Transitions.
Consequences.
Between Determinism and Choice.
Imperatives of Energy Needs and Uses.
Importance of Controls.
Limits of Energy Explanations.
Basic Measures.
Chronology of Energy-Related Developments.
Power in History.
Suggested Readings.
References.
About the Book and Author.
Index