Email a copy of 'Geopolitics: How Maps Help Us Understand History, Predict the Future - Pt. 1, by Brian Miller' to a friend
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Wonderful article. I was fortunate to have an elderly teacher for first 3 grades in a 2 room school house in Connecticut. Large pull down maps over the blackboard showed countries from time of the Romans, through the Vandals, etc. We had to learn from them. We were given a map of the 48 STATES (I started 1st grade in 1948), and had to fill in the names of the states, and the capitols. The 3 R’s were taught along with basic science, music (we learned to sing both melody and harmony), and so much more. Spelling was emphasized, and also PHONICS and roots of words. Even the dictionaries back then were so much more complete. Alas, within two generations the public schools were woefully lacking. All part of a deliberate plan dating even from the time of Dewey!
Interesting! Several years ago I had visited the World War I museum in Kansas City and the first short film they showed talked about imagined communities and WW1. Looking forward to part 2.
Ownership of land by a state is an interesting concept. Interesting too how state power rises from the need of a sedentary people. Somebody needs to think “big” and form a global state with one religion worshiping the earth.
Fallen man unable to accept one law from his Creator foolishly believes creating his own many laws will make him free.
Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (KJV)
Quit paying property taxes, you will find in just a few short months that the state already owns “your land”. 😉
There is a great deal of truth in this 1st part. I’m always stunned by the fact that our leaders do not learn from history ………… and we little minions pay the price.
The USA is nothing special in terms of time. Our schools and long living bureaucracies are really corrupt and only taking care of themselves.
I feel im watching the decline of the American Empire.
Great 1st part, looking forward to the conclusion…..if only this were taught in schools.
God Bless
Even as we experience the “decline of empire” and as painful as that is, imagine living in a country where losing a leg to a landmine is a daily fear. Our empire has left thousands of deadly explosives under the ground all over the world. Here is one organization that is doing something about it.
The money quote, “Cox said the rats have freed more than 1 million people from the terror of living with land mines.”
The link:
https://www.npr.org/2020/09/25/916892377/hero-rat-wins-a-top-animal-award-for-sniffing-out-landmines
Carry on
Just a short comment on how poorly the U.S. population is educated in Geography. My brother was needing to travel to New Mexico for a business situation. He was on the phone trying to make a flight reservation. He mentioned to the clerk that he needed to travel to New Mexico. She informed him that they did not have flights to Mexico. He said, “Oh no you misunderstand, I need to fly to New Mexico.” Her answer was, ” I’m sorry sir will still don’t fly to Mexico.” My brother was totally stunned! After a short moment of disbelief he asked to talk to her supervisor. He explained again that he needed to get a flight to NEW MEXICO! The supervisors response was, ” Sorry sir we don’t fly to Mexico.” In disgust he just hung up and got another airline. This is so unbelievable that if it was not my brother telling me this from first hand knowledge I would have thought it was a joke or something.
Hmm, the first sentence of this article caught my eye, as I’ve had first hand experience with people ot knowing their geography. An example: In the early 90’s, my son was stationed in Germany and he wanted a loan from my local credit union. when I told him that he would not get it because he was outside the borders of the U.S. some weeks later he called and said the he had called them and had gotten the loan ( which surprised the heck out of me ). Then about three months later I receive a call from the credit union checking on the information that he gave them. At the end the young lady then ask: ‘Where in the U.S. is Germany located?” Long story short, when I told her, her answer was “Oh S–t ” and hung up. I found out later she was fired on the spot. I agree that public schooling and education for the last 30 to 40 years is… (I’m grasping for a better, less vulger word ) and has been lacking. I’ve spoke with retired teachers and complained to them and their answer was ” everything that is taught in schools comes down from the national level ” they have no say in what is being taught or how. Another example: My two step granddaughters in Thailand ride the bus 2 hours a day to and from school every day and spend 8 to 10 hrs a day in school and when they aren’t going to school, they are enrolled in both English ans Chinese language schools. And they are only 10 and 12 yrs old.
This goes to show you how the liberal run schools in the US are deleting history and certain subjects for students. I have run into young people that had no idea where certain countries were located and had no idea about American history. The dumbing down and liberal brainwashing of our youth continues.
In the past, one argument for the US to intervene in European wars is that a power that united the resources of the Eurasian continent would be powerful enough to eventually conquer North America — greater resources, population, etc.
The British –living on a small offshore island — have always known this. Let Sir Humphreys explain it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37iHSwA1SwE
1) A book that really exposes the power of geography is Ian Morris’ “Why the West Rules –For Now”. Notes how geography has led to the rise of past empires (e.g, Mediterranean Sea transport aiding the rise of the Roman Empire.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For_Now
2) The vast size of the Pacific Ocean relative to the Atlantic meant that Europe was able to loot the enormous resources of North and South America –whereas the Chinese were shut out. Giving us a (temporary) lead in power.
3) Something Ian Morris does not mention is the huge importance of Andrew Jackson winning the battle of New Orleans. If Britain had managed to seize New Orleans,– easily defended by the Royal Navy in the Gulf of Mexico — then she would have controlled water transport/commerce on the Mississippi River –hence would have controlled the Midwest, which would have split off from the states on the Atlantic seaboard.
In 1812, it was cheaper to transport corn from western Pennsylvania by sending it down the Mississippi River on barges and up the Atlantic coast on ships than to transport it overland by wagons on the miserable roads of the day.
An interesting question is WHY is the US K12 curriculum designed to create citizens deeply ignorant of the important matters — commerce, entrepreneurship, military power, etc.
I’m definitely enjoying to article so far. I can’t wait to read part two!
Also, I got JWRs survival guide this past week and am having a blast with every section I’ve read. Great job JWR!
I was at the CDA, Idaho Costco yesterday, your book was nowhere to be seen.
Good post, btw.
Did you look in the boxes under the table? They may still have one or two cases left.
Yes, I did. The entire book section was very meager.
Is there any way to buy the book directly from you so I don’t have to support Costco or Amazon any more than I have to?
I was traveling from Boston to Montana and the travel agent says “That’s in Canada, isn’t it?”
Further, the few teachers that try to add expanded teachings, whether, civics or geography, even English quite often get a lot of kick back from parents about why their children are being ‘burdened with this ‘extra’ crap. I think it’s because the parents can’t/don’t want to help with the home work. That was about ten years ago and I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t sat through a number of meeting at school about this ‘extra crap.’
Of my favorite subjects during my school years, History ranks as #1 with emphasis on the American Revolution part. Coming in at #2 was geography with Ag & Shop a toss up for #3, with English & the book part #4. Always figure everything I ever needed to know about anything I could find at the school & public libraries.
Maps and geography have always ranked very high on my list of things I enjoy. I can sit and look at maps for hours studying all the details of where everything fits with everything else, and my tiny little existence within the whole picture. Helps develop a picture of where everything is in relation to everything else, when people talk of certain places wherever they may be, you see in your mind a picture of where it is they are talking about.
Of course living in about 50 different places in 5 different countries and having driven well over 4 million miles commercial, private auto/truck & motorcycles, plus traveling about on 9 different boats probably helped develop the sense of where I
am in relation to the rest of the world.
I find it very sad so many of the younger generations have no clue as to where things are in the world and cannot relate to seemingly the simplest directions. No wonder they come across to the rest of the world as completely lost, in body mind and soul…….
“Maps and geography have always ranked very high on my list of things I enjoy. I can sit and look at maps for hours studying all the details of where everything fits with everything else, and my tiny little existence within the whole picture.”
Me too! In fact sometimes I have to avoid maps if I want to focus on other book work.
My 2 cents worth (adjusted for inflation): earlier than the Middle Ages, differences between peoples were noted by the Ancient Greeks by the word “barbarian,” which was a description of their language “bar bar bar.”
Human progress in science and technology occurs in settled societies — which have been constantly attacked and destroyed by nomadic raiders from the steppes of Asia. The Huns drove the Germans into the Roman Empire and destroyed it. China was overrun and disrupted several times by nomadic raiders — the Mongol, Manchus,etc.
Here in the USA , the Army had a difficult time subduing the Comanches of Texas.
Thank God for barbed wire, machine guns and artillery.
One of the problems, IMHO, is that the United States did become an Empire. We were never intended to be an Empire and it was one of our greatest mistakes. We should never have violated the Monroe Doctrine, it was a sound and secure statement of our position in the world.