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.

摘要

尝试了解大流行期间和之后的全球进程将受益于对历史案例的分析。这项工作通过关注 (1) 国家和国家实力、(2) 阶级冲突和 (3) 全球政治竞争，简要回顾了从大约公元前 400 年到现在的各种流行病的影响。各州受到的影响不均衡，有能力的政治单位越来越强大，而薄弱的单位则遭受紧缩。随着劳动力短缺产生工资压力，阶级冲突总体上增加并证明了一个多代循环。鉴于大流行对军事冲突、帝国兴衰、殖民主义以及各个地区权力变化的影响，大流行改变了全球政治体系。