Proč Západ vládne... zatím – Morris Ian (2025)

The area of the world we now refer to as the West gained global dominance due to the industrial revolution in the 19th century, a dominance that continues to this day. However, now, at the beginning of the 21st century, concerns are beginning to spread that the rising economic power of China and India signifies the end of the West as a global superpower. Are these concerns justified? And why did the states of the West achieve such a dominant position in the past? British historian and archaeologist Ian Morris focuses on patterns of history over thousands of years in his influential book and provides an intriguing answer to both of these questions. The key to the West's dominance was not culture, racial differences, or exceptional individual performances. The crucial factor was geography, which determined how local people were able to cope with shortages of resources, diseases, migration, or climate changes in their everyday lives. The interplay of geographical factors and human ingenuity continues, and according to Morris, the world will keep transforming, which will also affect the power status of developed countries. The book is a significant contribution to the history of our civilization and a great starting point for understanding the current geopolitical situation.