A shortage of food would have weakened these dynasties, and pushed nomads in the north -- even more vulnerable to dips in temperature -- to invade their southern, Chinese-speaking neighbors. iStockphoto
A shortage of food would have weakened these dynasties, and pushed nomads in the north -- even more vulnerable to dips in temperature -- to invade their southern, Chinese-speaking neighbors. iStockphoto
And Mongolia just suffered a very hard winter. Lost a large percentage of their live stock. Good thing we have tanks now, cause they were unstoppable on their horses.
btt
The expansion of the Vikings, which took them as far as Sicily, North Africa, Russia, and North America, has been linked to a population explosion in Scandinavia due to warmer climate at the time. Under primogeniture, surplus sons could not inherit land and had an incentive to leave home and conquer their own. I wouldn’t be surprised if a similar pattern did not influence the great Mongol and Tatar conquests. Demography is destiny, and cultures often expand when things are good for them, giving them the population and food base for conquest.
Of interest ~ recalling that Ghenghis Khan is reputed by Norway’s Keppel family to have visited them in the Sapma.
Global Warming Stops War!
Now there is a bumper sticker.
Thanks!
Along similar lines - does anyone know if any research has been done regarding climate change and the various barbarian invasions the Romans (Marius) faced during the Republic?
Here’s my fearless prediction: China’s next few wars will be against their neighbors and will be driven by SEX.
The ‘one child per family’ is producing an abnormal demographic profile in China. Fewer women than normal.
The reason is that in a traditional culture that values boys higher than girls, the policy has resulted in aborting femaale children as families choose to have male babies instead of ‘worthless’ girls.
When the lack of women prevents many men from finding wives to start families or sexual gratification, it will create a tinderbox in a culture that reveres the family and having a family is an obligation to one’s ancestors.
China already has the largest standing army in the world. Add that to a lack of wives/women for sex and family and it is not inconceivable (pun intended) that the army will one day cross borders with an undeclared goal of stealing women from their neighbors.
Note to China’s Poliburo: It’s not wise to thwart Mother Nature.
