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A History Of The World In Six Glasses Chapter Summaries

857 Words4 Pages

Caroline King
Dr. Parker
History 111
6 November 2017
A History of the World in Six Glasses - Book Review
A History of the World in Six Glasses is a book by Tom Standage that describes how different drinks has changed people’s lives over the years. Chapters one through three specifically describe how beer, wine, and distilled spirits have changed the many societies of the world. All these drinks were very popular and they changed countries politically, economically, and socially. Beer was a discovery like no other and people loved and revered it so much that it was used for just about everything. Economically, it was used as a currency and people were not only paid with it, but they paid their taxes with the grain. According to Tom Standage, …show more content…

Economically speaking, rich romans would buy villas for slaves to work on to make the wine. It would then be shipped across the Roman Empire, which extended as far as the Middle East and Spain. Wine was also very popular in Greek and Italian cultures. As its popularity expanded, the demand for this Italian wine lead to a rise in slavery in large villas. Wine also began to replace grain production and Italy became more depended on African grain. Politically, people would gather to discuss profound truths and the universe while drinking wine in a symposium in Greece and Rome. Scholars and upper class citizens in Greece came together to share and discuss ideas that shaped the political thought of their civilization. According to Tom Standage, “wine became a symbol of social differentiation, a mark of the wealth and status of the drinker” (75). In Rome, it became a tradition to serve fine wines to guests as a way of showing their high status and sophistication. Socially, having wine meant you had power and were very important. It also showed that you were a very intellectual person. At first only people of the highest social classes had wine, but as it became more popular and more was being made, wine became affordable for the lower classes. It is common knowledge that the finer the wine, the more expensive it is and this couldn’t have been more true in these days. There was basically a different wine that each social class drank and the lower down the social ladder you went, the cheaper and not as fine the wine became. According to Tom Standage, “Pliny the Younger…described a dinner at which fine wine was served to the host and his friends, a second-rate wine to other guests, and third-rate wine to freedmen (former slaves)”

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In John Standage’s book, A History of the World in Six Glasses, the history of the world is told through the history of six beverages; beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca Cola. The effect that each has had on the world is profound and immeasurable, however, of the six beverages, I have found that coffee has played the largest and most significant role in world history. One way that coffee affected world history is that establishments that served coffee created a social venue for members of the community to bond over various topics. Standage wrote that coffeehouses were hotspots for “gossip, rumor, political debate, and satirical discussion.”, similar to what they are in the present day. These topics led to Kha’ir Beg, ruler of Egypt, as well as his superiors worrying about coffeehouses being a popular meeting place for those wishing to overthrow the government.

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Greeks also had a method to drink wine. Before drinking any wine, it was mandatory that the wine was mixed with water so that the wine don’t make you lose your soberness. If this was not done, it was considered barbaric. Greeks said only their god Dionysus could drink wine just as it is. Wine was also the most important drink at symposiums.

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A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is not the typical history read that one might expect. To some who find reading history books quite tedious and overwhelming, this book is for you. Standage divides his book into 6 main sections via beverages: Beer, Wine, Spirits, Coffee, Tea and Coca-Cola. These drinks, which all started as a form of medicine, not only have great affects on today’s social culture but have also affected the historical spread of technology, religion, exploration, trade, slavery, and noteworthy worldwide events that changed society. As Standage describes it, Beer was a representation of both liquid wealth and health during the early civilizations in Egypt and Mesopotamia.

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Standage also stated that beer was not considered invented like drinks today, beer was discovered and was a form of money and beer was even considered a religious offering. Standage then discussed wine that was a part of the Roman and Greek tradition. Wine was known as a drink that involved sophistication and power,

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During the prohibition there was a long fought war against people who illegally manufactured and distributed alcohol. The prohibition began in the early 1920's and ended in 1933. The prohibition banned the manufacture distribution and sale of alcohol. The law was passed for many reasons. Important names at the time including John D. Rockefeller said that drunken workers were bad for business.

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In the novel, The Looking Glass Wars, Frank Beddor uses conflict to transfer the character Alyss Heart from a teasing, inexperienced, and playful little girl, into a mature, imaginative, and wise young woman. To begin with, Alyss Heart was a trickster who often teased when she was young. However, through conflict faced in a new world, Alyss soon becomes a mature and kind person. For example, at Alyss’s own birthday, “She would have rather hidden...dropping jellyjollies from an open window…”

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Prohibition was the prevention by law of the manufacture and sale of alcohol, especially in the US between 1920 and 1933 .In The Great Gatsby there are many times where prohibition is shown, whether it be at a speak-easy, at Gatsby’s parties, or among the wealthy. Prohibition was a major influence on this time in the 1920’s. In F. Scott. Fitzgerald’s novel

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Throughout human history, many different things affected culture and history as a whole. From laws, to inventions, to technological advancements. One thing most people do not consider to be part of this list is drinks. In the book “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage, six different drinks that heavily affected world history are discussed and analyzed. Beer and wine had an extensive effect on the world, but coffee is, without question, the most influential of the three.

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The 1920’s was an interesting time in American history. This era was also known as the roaring twenties. Although it is remembered as a fond time before the Great Depression there was also a lot of conflicts arising, Cultural conflicts in particular were at the center. Prohibition and Immigration were two of the main cultural conflicts during this time period.

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In the early 1800’s to around 1919 the people of America were fighting for an alcohol free America, this was referred to as the Temperance Movement. The Temperance Movement became one of the largest social movements of the 19th century. The movement began as a religious movement, then many business leaders joined saying there reason for joining was that drinking interfered with the workers’ productivity. Woman also joined after that saying that drunken husbands were more likely to lose their jobs putting their family at risk but also that by drinking alcohol they were more likely to physically abuse their families once coming home. All in all, I believe The Temperance Movement was a good movement for families in need for a restriction on

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Prohibition was a period of 13 years in U.S. history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor was made illegal from 1920 to 1933. It was known as the “Noble Experiment” and led to the first and only time an Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed. There were many reasons for why prohibition was introduced, one was that a ban on alcohol would practically boost supplies of important grains such as barley. Another was, when America entered the war in 1917, the national mood turned against drinking alcohol.

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Each society ever developed has had many small and important factors that shaped them to this day. Beer started out as “The central to social, religious, and economic life and was the staple beverage of the earliest civilizations.” (10). This drink indicated the class stratification during this time because it was a social drink in Mesopotamia and other civilizations.

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