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![]() ![]() Ferguson disagrees, preferring Tolstoy’s view that human calamities are natural phenomena comparable to a hurricane. Thus, they explain that the shocking 1914 outbreak of World War I was caused by decades of competition between Europe’s great powers. Historians follow every disaster with an explanation. Major catastrophes occur so rarely that few of us take the risk personally and continue to invest in risky stocks, settle in flood plains, and thrill at the beginning of the latest war. ![]() There is no average forest fire, stock market drop, or measles outbreak. Perhaps most important of all, Ferguson emphasizes, these phenomena tend to follow “power laws” rather than the familiar normal distribution such as human heights. “Yet they seldom reflect very deeply on their common properties.” With all disasters, the social context is crucial: A hurricane or earthquake is of no consequence unless there are people around. “Historians tend to gravitate toward the study of…extreme disasters, with a preference for the man-made varieties,” writes the author. The result is this assertive, intensely researched, sometimes unconvincing, but always entertaining account. The bestselling British historian offers his thoughts on major disasters, including the current pandemic, with an emphasis on why humans handle them so badly.Īfter seeing his warnings about the severity of Covid-19 ignored in early 2020, Ferguson revived his interest in the role of disasters in world history. ![]()
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