The fact that
the Fertile Crescent shared the same latitude with Europe and Asia allowed them to move their crops and animals to these areas and continue to thrive
. Had they not lived adjacent to land masses that could support their crops and animals, they may have died out.
Why did the societies in Eurasia have an advantage over others?
Continents that are spread out in an east-west direction, such as Eurasia, had a developmental advantage because
of the ease with which crops, animals, ideas and technologies could spread between areas of similar latitude
.
Why did people in some parts of the world develop more quickly than people in other parts of the world according to Jared Diamond?
Jared Diamond’s basic theory is that some countries developed more rapidly than others and were
able to expand and conquer much of the world because of geographic luck
.
What made certain civilizations thrive while others struggled?
Some civilizations grew in locations
favorable to agriculture
, allowing them to develop technologies and social institutions to overtake others. Germs also played a role in history, decimating some populations with diseases to which others were immune. Diamond argues this is how Eurasians came to dominate the world.
Why did the people of New Guinea not advance technologically?
Voiceover: The way of life in New Guinea was perfectly viable. It had survived intact for thousands of years. But according to Diamond, people didn’t advance technologically
because they spent too much time and energy feeding themselves
. And then Westerners arrived, and used their technology to colonize the country.
What was Pizarro’s secret weapon?
Why did the Spaniards pass their diseases onto the Incas, and not the other way around?
Jared Diamond
: This is Pizarro’s secret weapon; pigs and cows, sheep and goats, domestic animals.
What is Jared Diamond’s theory?
Jared Diamond’s basic theory is that
some countries developed more rapidly than others and were able to expand and conquer much of the world because of geographic luck
.
What are the three major elements that separate the world?
According to Jared Diamond, what are the three major elements that separate the world’s “haves” from the “have nots”?
Guns, germs, and steel
are the three major elements that separate the world’s “haves” from the “have nots.”
Who first domesticated animals?
About the same time they domesticated plants, people in Mesopotamia began to tame animals for meat, milk, and hides. Hides, or the skins of animals, were used for clothing, storage, and to build tent shelters.
Goats
were probably the first animals to be domesticated, followed closely by sheep.
What was great about the Fertile Crescent?
The Fertile Crescent is the boomerang-shaped region of the Middle East that was home to some of the earliest human civilizations. Also known as the “Cradle of Civilization,” this area was the
birthplace of a number of technological innovations
, including writing, the wheel, agriculture, and the use of irrigation.
What is Jared Diamond’s main argument?
In the Pulitzer-prize winning book Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, author Jared Diamond argues that
environmental differences rather than inherent differences between races are responsible for some cultures becoming dominant in the modern world
.
What do critics say about Diamond’s theory?
Critics point out the deterministic nature of the book,
arguing that Diamond makes it seems as though certain civilizations were predestined or predetermined to succeed or fail based on geography alone
.
Why did Spain have such a weapons advantage over the Incas?
Like mentioned before, they had more access to guns and
the technology because they were closer to the Fertile Crescent than the Incas
. … While the Americas were isolated and had no knowledge about steel, the Europeans got the knowledge of steel because of the Fertile Crescent’s knowledge spreading through the lands.
Can Jared Diamond explain how America fell to Guns Germs and Steel?
Can Jared Diamond explain how America fell to guns, germs and steel? …
They had ruthlessly conquered their neighbors in South America
, and by 1532 governed a vast territory, the length and breadth of the Andes. But as Jared discovers, the Inca lacked some critical agents of conquest.
Why did civilization not develop in Africa?
The geography of Africa has also had a big impact with limited farming land and vast tracts of unprofitable land make the development of large civilizations difficult except in
very localised areas
(such as the Nile valley) – a civilization can only become truly developed when there are surpluses of food and other …
What is the big question Diamond poses?
The big question that Jared Diamond is posing is
an expansion of one that was asked of him
. This is usually referred to as “Yali’s question,” based on a passage in which Diamond converses with a New Guinean man, Yali.
