Empires of the weak – The real story of European expansion and the creation of the new world order

If you are interested in military history, this one is a recommended reading. Themed around the military campaigns of the European powers in 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, it essentially tries to highlight the lesser known side of the failures of those powers in Asia and Africa. Interesting to know that almost until the 18th century Boer war, the European powers had never fought any big wars. Their ventures into Asia and Africa were initially with a view to contain the influence of the Ottaman empire which was seen as spreading Islamic power far and wide.

But the industrial revolution has strengthened the military prowess of the European powers like the British and French and they started establishing big empires. Those empires have lasted for nearly a century and eventually collapsed.

A book worth reading to understand the philosophical context of the theme rather than the actual history. If you are looking for details about many wars and European failures, you will be disappointed and bored.