How Weather Has Changed World History: Shaping Humanity

Introduction

Humans make decisions which can influence their everyday lives, and these choices cumulatively reflect in the direction of their lives. It is enticing, and often reassuring, to assume destiny is controlled by humans. However, every aspect of our environments cannot be controlled by a human, and human affairs are frequently interfered by forces beyond human control. Even so, many people’s opinion the weather has very little influence in their lives besides determining what clothes they wear on a day; the weather has undoubtedly caused world history to radically shift in necessary ways that are however felt today. Exploring how weather has changed world history provides insights into the unforeseen impact of meteorological conditions on the course of human events.

Impact of Weather on World History

When the American War of Independence started in 1775, it seemed doubtless the British military would overpower the thirteen colonies and reintegrate it back into the empire. The British troops were very much prepared and taught armed forces which were dreaded around the world. Conversely, the American troops were recently trained, sometimes ineffectively organized, and lacked decent supplies to fight effectively. General George Washington could have effectively been vanquished in the Battle of Long Island on August 22, 1776. Historical records demonstrate the British were obviously crushing Washington on Long Island. Despite that, the climate interceded when an impenetrable fog rolled in. “When the morning fog began to lift and the British patrols warily came to check on the American breastworks, they found them empty. Washington and the last of the rear guard were aboard the boats and sailing to safety” (Myers 22). The American forces had the capacity to withdraw, regroup, and prepare to battle another day. Consequently, the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Overseas Territories does not include the United States of America because General George Washington was uncaptured in the battle for freedom due to this dense fog. If the United States lost the Battle of Long Island, it could signal the end of the revolution.

The creation of nations and civilization from the world history shows numerous cases of the longstanding consequences of weather. Throughout the thirteenth century in the Mongol Empire, the first Emperor of the Yuan dynasty, Kublai Khan had influence over the vast Mongol Empire. Kublai’s realm reached from present-day Afghanistan in the south to Siberia in the north, the Black Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. To continue his ambitious invasion, Kublai Khan twice attempted to invade Japan. Both attempts were thwarted by bad weather and caused him to cease his attacks. History book describes accounts of this event:

The invasion fleet comprised thousands of ships and hundreds of thousands of men an operation not again equaled until the 1944 Allied landings in Normandy. The invasion is perhaps better known; however, for the fleet's destruction by a legendary typhoon known as kamikaze (Japanese for 'divine wind'). (Delgado 59) After this surprising defeat, Kublai Khan could not fulfill his desire. He died before he could stage a third invasion of the Japanese. These winds changed history, and the Mongol Empire might have conquered Japan. With deep aftereffects for Asians and world history, Japan would have lost its identity as a sovereign culture.

Russian Winters and Napoleon's Defeat

Except for the Mongols, who successfully vanquished Russia in the thirteenth century, Russians are acquainted with the possibility that essentially no other nation can attack their nation, due to the incredibly brutal winters the region consistently encounter. In the early nineteenth century, French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte tried to invade Russia. Napoleon’s early victories seemed to guarantee he may eventually rule the world. His officers conquered Moscow and demolished the city, which urged him to push more distant in his military crusades. However, because of his dreams of glory, Napoleon neglected the fundamental fact Russian winters are incredibly cold. At the point when the temperatures fell below freezing, many of his soldiers and their horses died in the ruthless climate:

Of all of Napoleon's blunders, none was more destructive and self-defeating than his decision to invade Russia. The statistics are mind-boggling. Of the 600,000 troops that he commanded across the Niemen River in June 1812, only about 20,000 could be accounted for when the remnants of that grandest of his armies stumbled back half a year later. (Nester 353) As a result of the disappointment of Napoleon’s Russian crusades, his rule ended relatively soon after. His defeat led to a reorganization of power throughout the European nations, and to the rise of Russia as a significant world power.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the weather has caused various immense power balances among cultures and nations and shifts in world history. Without the dense fog, the United States might be a Commonwealth realm in which Queen Elizabeth II is the reigning constitutional monarch; without the Kamikaze storms, Mongolia might have Japan as its eastern outpost; and without brutal winter snow, French might be the official language in Russia. At present meteorologist can typically predict with a high degree of accuracy when natural disasters will strike, anyway, the course of history cannot be completely secluded from the aftereffects of the climate.  

Works Cited

1. Delgado, James P. 'Kublai Khan's Lost Fleet: In Search of a Legendary Armada.' Vancouver Maritime Museum, 2010.
2. Myers, Robert J. 'The Children of Pride: A True Story of Georgia and the Civil War.' Yale University Press, 1972.
3. Nester, William R. 'The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict.' University of Oklahoma Press, 2014