The Role of Migration in the History of the Eurasian Steppe: Sedentary Civilization vs. “Barbarian” and Nomad

Description

Throughout their entire history, the sedentary civilizations of China and Europe had to deal with nomads and barbarians. This unique volume explores their drastically different responses: China 'chose' containment while Europe 'chose' expansion. Migration played a crucial role in this interaction. Issuing from two population centers, the sedentary one in the West and the nomadic one in the East, two powerful population streams confronted each other in the Eurasian Steppe. This confrontation was a crucial factor in determining patterns of Eurasian history - it destroyed existing states, created new ones, and drastically changed the balance of power. Even today, while Russian populations in Asia contract, the population pressures in China and Central Asia continue to build and are likely to spill over across the border. This book shows how we are witnessing the beginning of a new cycle of the age-old contest. Front Matter....Pages i-xi The Framework....Pages 1-17 Front Matter....Pages 19-19 Migration and Colonization in Antiquity....Pages 21-35 German Migrations East....Pages 37-58 Russian Migrations in the Sixteenth to Twentieth Centuries....Pages 59-69 Russian Immigration and its Effect on the Kazak Steppes, 1552–1965....Pages 71-101 Front Matter....Pages 103-103 The Celts....Pages 105-115 Early Germanic Migrations....Pages 117-132 The Slavs....Pages 133-149 The Vikings....Pages 151-179 Front Matter....Pages 181-187 Horses and Gold: The Scythians of the Eurasian Steppes....Pages 189-206 The Last of the Iranians....Pages 207-213 The Huns....Pages 215-227 The Falling Dominoes....Pages 229-249 The Mongolian Impact on Eurasia: A Reassessment....Pages 251-274 Migration, Its Role and Significance....Pages 275-285 Back Matter....Pages 287-355