Geoffrey Parker
Geoffrey Parker is a British historian specializing in military history and the early modern period. He is known for his work on the Spanish Armada and the Thirty Years' War, and has published extensively on the history of warfare and the impact of climate on historical events.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Global Crisis
War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century
The book examines the profound impact of climate change and extreme weather events on the political, social, and economic landscapes of the 17th century. It explores how a period of global cooling, known as the Little Ice Age, led to widespread crop failures, famines, and social unrest across various regions, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The author argues that these environmental stresses exacerbated existing tensions and contributed to a series of crises, including wars, revolutions, and the collapse of states. By weaving together a vast array of historical evidence, the book highlights the interconnectedness of climate and human history, offering insights into how societies have historically responded to environmental challenges.
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2. Platform Revolution
How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy—and How to Make Them Work for You
A practical guide to how platform businesses create value by enabling interactions between producers and consumers and leveraging network effects. It explains the mechanics of matchmaking, governance, pricing, and openness, offering playbooks for launching, scaling, and sustaining growth while solving the chicken-and-egg problem and building trust. Through real-world examples, it shows how platforms disrupt traditional pipeline models and offers strategies for entrepreneurs, incumbents, and policymakers to build, compete, and regulate effectively.
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3. Die Militärische Revolution
Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500–1800
The book argues that between the early modern centuries a suite of interrelated military innovations — widespread adoption of gunpowder weapons, new fortification designs and siege warfare, changes in tactics and the growth of standing, professional armies — fundamentally transformed how wars were fought, forcing states to develop larger bureaucracies and stronger fiscal systems to support them; these changes in turn reshaped political power and helped enable the rise and overseas expansion of certain European states.
