Guns Germs and Steel o Jared Diamond Power

Guns, Germs, and Steel o Jared Diamond Power. Point by Jeremiah Rosenfels

Proximate Answers 1. Eurasians: o Carried disease o Had superior technology: guns, steel, o o swords, ships Had centralized governments Had high literacy rates Had access to wealth Had horses

Not That Simple… o But, How did Eurasians develop those advantages and others did not do so to the same degree? o www. pbs. org/gunsgermssteel/world/i ndex. html

The luck of one’s Geography theory: the size of Eurasia and its East-West Axis

Eurasia’s East-West Axis: East for domestication to transverse the different climates, habitats, rainfall patterns, day’s length, and diseases

Key: Sedentary Living High Populations Advanced Civilizations

“Good Candidate for Domestication”: o Eurasia’s native animals

The Big “ 14” * only 14 large mammals have been domesticated o Major 5: Sheep, goat, cow, pig, horse o Minor 9: Arabian (1 -humped) camel, Bactrian (2 -humped) camel, llama, donkey, reindeer, water buffalo, yak, Bali cattle, mithan o Europe: 13 domesticated out of 72 candidates o Sub-Saharan Africa: 0 domesticated out of 51 candidates o The Americas: 1 domesticated out of 24 candidates o Australia: 0 out of 1 http: //www. pbs. org/gunsgermssteel/variables/cattle. html

“Bad Candidate for Domestication” Sub-Saharan Africa’s native animals

The Andes’ Domestic Animals: • But, they never reached Meso-America and the Mayas and Aztecs, leaving central America naked to microbes.

Disappearance of North America mammals

What are Domesticated Livestock also good for? o o o o Milk Plowing Clothing Rope and Net Leather Fertilizer Germs Transportation (horse, camel) n Assyrian chariots in Egypt, Huns in Europe, Mongols in China

Let’s Talk Plants: Centers of Origin for Food production

Fertile Crescent Plants o Had large, self-pollinating grasses that would produce protein-rich cereals. n These grains can sustain high populations and therefore large civilizations. n Fruits, roots, and animals alone cannot produce enough volume and protein to support a large society. o Agriculture spread relatively quickly through temperate climates from Western Asia to Egypt and Europe, but not to Sub-Saharan Africa.

Name some specialists within a society that surplus food can support : o Full-time soldiers o Priests who can use religion to organize, motivate o Artisans like metalworkers who can create weapons o Scribes to organize, communicate

Why did so many Native Americans die from disease? o Nomads leave their feces behind. Sedentary dwellers were surrounded by it. o Animals carry the original diseases. o Higher populations carry more, stronger diseases. o Over time, Darwinian forces make sedentary peoples highly immune to their own disease. o Nomads, smaller civilizations, and areas isolated from Eurasia (i. e. Americas, Australia, Southern Africa, Pacific Islanders) were defenseless against these diseases

Diseases originating in animals o o o o Small pox Influenza Tuberculosis Malaria The Plague Measles Cholera

Centralized Governments o Large societies must develop strong central governments because… n The high population makes fighting more common and people less likely to stop a fight. n Economic disparity more easily becomes a problem and governments tax to redistribute the wealth o Therefore, sophisticated feudal and authoritarian societies with laws, taxes and a bureaucracy are essential. o These centralized governments can organize wealth and people to create armies with technology. Competition amongst them increases their ferocity.

Let’s review: What is this chart showing?

The British Empire

OTHER TOPICS o o o o Disease Population: Size & Movement Technology Why Europe & not Asia? What questions should be asked? GGS contrarian views Time permitting: http: //www. pbs. org/gunsgermssteel /world/index. html Do you know how to play American football? Kevin Duncan [Kevin_Duncan@cds. ed. cr] / Country Day School / Escazu, Costa Rica