Pandemics in global and historical perspective

ABSTRACT

Attempts to understand global processes during and after pandemics will benefit from an analysis of historical examples. This work offers a brief review of the impact of various pandemics from about 400 BCE to the present by focusing on (1) states and state strength, (2) class conflict, and (3) global political competition. States are unevenly affected, with capable political units growing in strength and weak units suffering retrenchment. Class conflict increases overall and evidences a multigenerational cycle as labour shortages generate wage pressures. Pandemics alter the global political system given their impact on military conflict, the rise and fall of empires, colonialism, and alterations in power across various regions. A technical note to this work considers challenges in the way we see disease and offers some quick and useful specialized information.

KEYWORDS:

• Bacteria
• class conflict
• global change
• pandemics
• states
• viruses

Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Thomas Hall, Joseph Wald z”l, and David Wilkinson for many years of fascinating discussions on a variety of related subjects. Christopher Chase-Dunn was kind enough to give permission to use Figure 1. In the 38 years I’ve been submitting articles for peer review I have never enjoyed three more stimulating, challenging, or helpful responses from reviewers. Though I could not follow up all their suggestions, this work is far better for their input. I am especially grateful to those members of my family involved in science and medicine for their patient tutelage: Cynthia Denemark, Eric Denemark, Howard Denemark z”l, Grace Tannin Denemark z”l, and Jonathan Mizrahi.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Robert A. Denemark

Robert A. Denemark studies the history and evolution of the global system, and the ability of theories of world politics to apprehend that long-term view. He is professor of Global Politics in the Department of Political Science at the University of Delaware. Given the pandemic he is spending his 2020–2021 sabbatical as ‘Virtual Visiting Scholar’ at the Arrighi Center for Global Studies at Johns Hopkins University.