Empires of the WeakHow the rise of the West was a temporary exception to the predominant world order. What accounts for the rise of the state, the creation of the first global system, and the dominance of the West? The conventional answer asserts that superior technology, tactics, and institutions forged by Darwinian military competition gave Europeans a decisive advantage in war over other civilisations from 1500 onward. In contrast, Empires of the Weak argues that