| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 96.2

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| Book Review | The Journal of American History, 96.2 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population. By Matthew Connelly. (Cambridge: Belknap, 2008. xvi, 521 pp. $35.00, ISBN 978-0-674-02423-6.)
Matthew Connelly's Fatal Misconception is a powerful historical work both for those who are new to the subject of global population policy in the twentieth century and for scholars, who can rely on his body of evidence and valuable perspective. His dedication to archival research, primary source documents, and prior works by historians makes the book particularly strong.	1
Beginning in the second half of the nineteenth century, Western imperial powers feared rising populations in the East. In addition, race theorists and social Darwinists warned of the degeneration of humanity if lesser specimens continued to breed and mix into the gene pool. Related concerns, if more modern in form, continued for more than one hundred years. While other scholars have successfully addressed these developments, adding to the body of literature in their respective areas, Connelly's work is more comprehensive. Furthermore, he does not stop at contextualizing the sentiment in favor of population control. He clearly outlines the continual steps that were taken to "remake humanity" (p. 15).	. . .

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