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The past five centuries have witnessed a
shocking series of confrontations between European nations
and millions of indigenous peoples -- encounters that resonate
strongly to this day. Focusing on four such collisions around
the world, Rivers of Blood, Rivers of Gold illuminates
the true global impact of imperialism.
Starting with the Spanish invasion of Mexico,
Cocker shows how Hernando Cortes used political manipulation
and outright deception to subdue the Aztecs in the sixteenth
century. Nearly three hundred years later, in 1803, the
British took possession of Tasmania and established a penal
colony. Conflicts over white expansion developed into an
all-out war that eventually led to a truce and relocation
of the Aborigines, whose population dwindled quickly until
no full-blooded tribesmen were left alive.
The next confrontation that Cocker explores
is the Apache resistance to American expansion. Constantly
reneging on its promises, the U.S. government forced Apaches
onto reservations, where they were ruthlessly exploited
by corrupt business interests. In the 1880s, not long after
the Apaches succumbed, German officials managed to establish
control in South West Africa, manipulating local tribes
and then brutally suppressing a series of revolts in an
outburst of genocidal fury.
These encounters were often harrowing, and
Cocker sustains a riveting narrative while simultaneously
providing new analysis that adds greatly to previous histories
of imperialism. He brings to light the high rates of indigenous
population decline, often underestimated by previous histories.
Cocker also shows how the Europeans in each instance used
similar rationalizations to justify their actions, providing
a fascinating look at the psychology behind imperialism
and its many atrocities. By comparing such geographically
diverse encounters, he enables the reader to grasp the fundamental
experiences and trends that underlay colonial expansion.
Even as he reveals this history of disturbing
acts, however, Cocker resists the easy truths that Westerners
were complete villains. He demonstrates, for example, that
interracial conflicts often led natives to support the Western
forces against their enemies, and that many indigenous people
carried out similarly brutal atrocities against their tribal
enemies.
Cocker's sense of balance makes his indictment
of imperialism all the more persuasive; his book is a significant
contribution to our understanding of the subject. This is
narrative history in its most impressive form -- engaging,
accessible, and stimulating.
Mark Cocker is a writer and environmentalist
who works for the British newspapers The Guardian
and The Guardian Weekly. He lives and works in England
with his partner and two daughters.
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