What I found most interesting about the Guns, Germs and Steel episode: Into the Tropics was how the European colonists thrived in the similar ecological and environmental area around the Tropic of Capricorn around the southern tip of Africa. By dominating the native populations with their domesticated animals that carried germs such as small pox, this bug simply devoted the native population which had no natural resistance. During their continued push north, the Europeans ran into the Zulu people who conquered their early camps and then the Zulu were conquered by the ‘circle the wagons’ method. As the colonists continued to push north into the Tropic of Cancer, the rolls of nature and evolution switched. Now they were the victims of disease, unable to grow sustainable food, and lacked the antibodies against Malaria. What I now know about the Columbian Exchange is that it marked the beginning of globalization. After Christoper Columbus’s voyage, trade routes were established to help move people, agricultural plants, farm animals, knowledge, & technology between geographic regions and continents. Potatoes originated in the Andes, were brought to Europe, received skeptical adoption since they were never mentioned in the bible, and along …show more content…
Yet there are still many European citizens and nations that are not in favor of the European Union. They want to be able to make their own economic decisions that are in their country’s best interest. A lot of social, economic, and political friction occurs when foreign policies that go against the interests or beliefs of the native people are adopted or even considered. People are concerned with becoming so diverse that they lose their sense of individuality and
Jared Diamond, author of the Pulitzer Prize Winning, National Best Selling book Guns, Germs and Steel, summarizes his book by saying the following: "History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among peoples' environments, not because of biological differences among peoples themselves." Guns, Germs and Steel is historical literature that documents Jared Diamond's views on how the world as we know it developed. However, is his thesis that environmental factors contribute so greatly to the development of society and culture valid? Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History is the textbook used for this class and it poses several different accounts of how society and culture developed that differ from Diamond's claims. However, neither Diamond nor Traditions are incorrect. Each poses varying, yet true, accounts of the same historical events. Each text chose to analyze history in a different manner. Not without flaws, Jared Diamond makes many claims throughout his work, and provides numerous examples and evidence to support his theories. In this essay, I will summarize Jared Diamond's accounts of world history and evolution of culture, and compare and contrast it with what I have learned using the textbook for this class.
Some consequences of the exchange are the spread of disease to the Native people and settlers, the destruction of the Native population, and the disappearance of the Natives custom’s, beliefs, and way of life. Columbus’s arrival to the Americas, land that had already been established by the Natives, resulted in a spread of fatal diseases. Disagreement between the Europeans and the Natives and the enslavement of Native people helped to wipe out the population. Document 5 illustrates the fighting that occurred between the Natives and Europeans.
I first read Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel in the Fall 2003 based on a recommendation from a friend. Many chapters of the book are truly fascinating, but I had criticisms of the book back then and hold even more now. Chief among these is the preponderance of analysis devoted to Papua New Guinea, as opposed to, say, an explanation of the greatly disparate levels of wealth and development among Eurasian nations. I will therefore attempt to confine this review on the "meat and potatoes" of his book: the dramatic Spanish conquest of the Incas; the impact of continental geography on food production; and finally, the origins of the Eurasian development of guns, germs, and steel. In terms of structure, I will first summarize the book's arguments, then critically assess the book's evidentiary base, and conclude with an analysis of how Guns, Germs, and Steel ultimately helps to address the wealth question.
Columbian Exchange, which also call the Grand Exchange, is an exchange of animals, crops, pollution (European and African), culture, infectious diseases and ideology between the eastern and western hemisphere in 15th and 16th centuries. Alfred W. Crosby first proposed this concept in his book “ The Columbian Exchange”, which published in 1972.
I believe that the environment deiced whether a society will or will not have technology, militaristic and farming abilities imbedded within the society. That will give an advantage so that one society is better equipped than others.
Columbian Exchange or the big exchange was a great exchange on a wide range of animals (Horses, Chickens, sheep, swine, Turkey), plants (Wheat, barley, corn, beans, tomatoes), people and culture, infectious diseases, and ideas, technology (Wheeled vehicles, iron tools, metallurgy) all these things happened between Native Americans and from Europe after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Resulting in communication between the two cultures to initiate a number of crops that have led to the increase in population in both hemispheres, where the explorers returned to Europe loaded with corn, tomatoes, potatoes, which has become one of the main crops in Eurasia with the solutions of the eighteenth century. At the same time, the Europeans crops, cassava and peanuts to Southeast Asia with a tropical climate.
Historical developments are connected across time and culture by recurring historical themes. Reoccurring themes are interactions between human and the environment, development of culture, expansion of hierarchy, and creation of economical and social structures. In Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond he researches why and how people in different regions were more fortunate than people in other regions of the world. Diamond credits the inequalities of the people to the differences in the environment not biological reasons. Most of the advantages the Europeans had were a direct result of geography. Although the growth and development of human society have greatly shaped and advanced civilization, ecological and geographic factors are where
Concluding, the significance of the Columbian exchange greatly impacted what we know of life today. The major impacts that have shaped what we know of the world today happened during the Colombian exchange. The major impacts of the Colombian exchange was Christianity that led to the rise of the Catholic Church, new food crops and domesticated animals that improved the Europeans and American living, new military technology such as weapons and horses, slavery of the natives and Africans and diseases that drastically harmed the different ethnic groups. Colombian Exchange between the old world and the new world still holds a drastic impact on the world today. If we didn’t have these influences then the world would be completely changed. Trading still continues today and has made an impact all over the world.
The Columbian Exchange allowed the world to share its resources and discover new ways of living. It opened the doors for new discoveries, trade, and raised the economy of many countries. People throughout Europe were given the opportunity to travel to the newly discovered lands of the Americas and begin new lives.
The Americas, unknown until Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492, became a major part of the world economy as many European nations colonized much of the land. Large sea trade arose during this time period, first by the Portuguese and Spanish and later by the English, French and Dutch. As European countries began exploring the Americas, an exchange of crops, animals, raw materials, diseases and new ideas were exchanged between the Americas and the rest of the world. This is known as the Columbian Exchange. One major component of the Columbian Exchange was the discovery of tobacco.
The Oxford Dictionary defines perspective as “A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” Everybody has different perspectives, but one of the more unique ones is from Jared Diamond. He created the book “Guns, Germs and Steel,” which was later turned into a TV miniseries. In it, Diamond travels around the world looking for an answer to a question that was asked by a New Guinean. Eventually, he turned to history. He looked at different societies and analyzed what caused them to be the way they were. Finally, he found an answer; geographic luck. In Episode 1 and 2 of “Guns, Germs and Steel,” Jared Diamond addresses an important question that has the ability to broaden a person’s understanding of people living
chapter 11 is the first in Part 3, which is entitled "From food to guns, germs, and steel". Earlier chapters traced how food production rose up is a few areas and spread, at different rates, to other places. This Part begins to show how this change in food production led to the Eurasians getting the guns, germs and steel, which, in turn, led to the answer to Yali's question about why they had all the 'stuff'.
The video Guns, Germs and Steel was a fascinating look at the roots of inequality. I do like Jared Diamonds take on the different aspects that contributed to the situation which was further compounded by geographical location. His theory focuses on western colonials who plundered their way into other continents bringing with them Guns, Germs and Steel claiming a hierarchy over the native people while believing they were superior and entitled.
“Environments can affect economy, technology, political organization, and fighting skills within a short time” (Diamond 57). An environment rich in domesticable flora and fauna allows for sedentary communities to develop. Farming allows for the storage of surplus food, which in turn allows for full-time soldiers, politicians, and craft specialists. In Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, the amount of domesticable large mammals, the amount of domesticable crops containing high calorie counts, and the volume of people contributed to countries’ development of guns, germs, and steel.
...South America and became important export crops in West Africa in the 20th century. While little information was provided on our specific topic, this source was useful for the information of the Columbian Exchange.