Name: __________________________

World History

Unit Two: Global Inequality

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An Overview of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel

Why do some nations have so much material wealth while so many others have so little?

This was the question Jared Diamond posed in his book Guns, Germs, and Steel. After identifying a point in time when all societies were roughly equal (over 13,000 years ago), Diamond identified the key variables that allowed some societies to develop highly complex, material-rich societies, while others developed at much slower rates.

Guns, Germs, and Steel uncovers how Europeans came to dominate every other group on the planet by virtue of their access to what Diamond terms the “Agents of Conquest”:

Guns, Germs, and Steel.

Jared Diamond’s journey of discovery began on the island of Papua, New Guinea. There, in 1974, a local named Yali asked Diamond a deceptively simple question:

"Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo (material goods), but we black people had little cargo (material goods) of our own?"

Diamond realized that Yali's question penetrated the heart of a great mystery of human history -- the roots of global inequality.

Why were Europeans the ones with all the cargo? Why had they taken over so much of the world, instead of the native people of New Guinea? How did Europeans end up with what Diamond terms the Agents of Conquest: Guns, Germs and Steel?

It was these agents of conquest that allowed 168 Spanish conquistadors to defeat an Imperial Inca army of 80,000 in 1532, and set a pattern of European conquest which would continue up to the present day.

Diamond knew that the answer had little to do with ingenuity or individual skill. From his own experience in the jungles of New Guinea, he had observed that native hunter-gatherers were just as intelligent as people of European descent -- and far more resourceful. Their lives were tough, and it seemed a terrible paradox of history that these extraordinary people should be the conquered, and not the conquerors.

To examine the reasons for European success, Diamond realized he had to peel back the layers of history and begin his search at a time of equality -- a time when all the peoples of the world lived in exactly the same way.
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Geography is Power:

An Interview with Jared Diamond

National Geographic News
July 6, 2005
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Why did history unfold differently on different continents? Why has one culture—namely that of Western Europe—dominated the 3development of the modern world?

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Guns, Germs and Steel, Jared Diamond argues that the answer is geography. The physical locations where different cultures have taken root, he claims, have directly affected the ability of those societies to develop key institutions, like agriculture and animal domestication, or to acquire important traits, like immunity to disease.

National Geographic News spoke with professor Diamond about his research.

Why over the past 10,000 years has the development of different societies proceeded at such different rates?

I say the answer is location, location, location. It's overwhelmingly due to the difference in the wild plant and animal species suitable to domestication that the continents made available. All the interesting stuff like technology, writing, and empires requires a productive economy that is producing enough food to feed technological experts, bureaucrats, kings, and scribes. Hunter-gatherer societies don't produce enough food surpluses to support those extra people.

Agriculture does.

Where did the first farming societies appear?

The first farming, as far as we know, appeared in [the Middle East region known as] the Fertile Crescent some 11,500 years ago, and shortly thereafter in China. These places had the greatest variety of wild plants and animals suitable for domestication. Only a tiny fraction of wild plants and animals were both useful and possible to domesticate. Those few species were concentrated in a few areas, of which the two with the greatest variety were the Fertile Crescent and China.

What were the benefits of the agricultural lifestyle compared to the hunter-gatherer existence?

Farming lets you feed far more people than hunting and gathering. In a one-acre wheat field there's more to eat than in a one-acre forest. In a one-acre sheep pasture, there are more animals to eat than in a one-acre forest. Farming lets you settle down in villages next to your wheat fields and pastures, whereas hunter-gatherers have to move around.

You point out that animals, plants, knowledge and new technology spread much easier east and west rather than north and south.

The reason is easy to understand if one understands geography. Climate, temperature, seasons, and habitat all depend strongly on latitude. Above 85 degrees north, you don't have tropical rainforest, you have Arctic ice fields. Certainly plants and animals tend to adapt to particular habitats and climates. The same is also true of people. The practices of the farming societies in the Fertile Crescent are easily transferred west [to Europe].

What is the link between agriculture and war?

Farming makes possible the development of technology, including military technology. Wars are not something new invented by those nasty Europeans. Everyone about whom we have enough knowledge has been involved with wars. Groups of people are competing with neighbor groups, and any group that develops some advantage is likely to be able to fight off, conquer, drive out, or exterminate their rivals. Throughout human history there's been this reward for developing more potent technology, including military technology.

The Spaniards certainly used weapons technology to their advantage in defeating the Incas.

In the battle of Cajamarca [in 1532, in what is now Peru], 169 Spaniards faced an army of 80,000 Inca soldiers. In the first ten minutes, there were 7,000 Incas dead. When the dust settled, not a single Spaniard was dead. That's because the Spaniards have the steel sword and the Incas have wooden clubs. It really showed the power of military technology.

In a way, the Spaniards also unwittingly deployed powerful biological weapons, including smallpox.

It is estimated that 95 percent of Native American casualties throughout North and South America were due to disease rather than military conquest. Smallpox killed about 50 percent of the Incas in the first epidemic.

Why did the Spaniards pass this disease on to the Incas and not the other way around?

It turns out that most of the nasty, infectious diseases of human history came to us from domestic animals. Thirteen of the fourteen herd domestic animals were Eurasian species. And Eurasian people in general got exposed to these diseases at childhood and therefore developed an immune system. In the New World, smallpox arrives and nobody is exposed to it, so it's hitting everybody, including adults.

When the European settlers arrived in southern Africa, it was the same story at first. But as the settlers went north, they soon began to encounter problems.

People of the north were farmers themselves, and it's possible that they had been exposed to smallpox. What we're sure of is that Africans had tropical diseases [such as malaria] to which they had some resistance. But Europeans did not have resistance. In tropical Africa, the disease advantages were reversed. Instead of Europeans carrying diseases that wipe out the locals, the locals carry diseases that wipe out the Europeans. That's why the Europeans never settled in large numbers in Africa outside of the temperate zone of southern Africa and the highlands of Kenya.

Africans developed complex farming societies, and they were able to stave off the European intruders. Yet ultimately the Europeans conquered Africa through colonialism. Is that why much of modern Africa is mired in poverty?

Africa today is the poorest continent. It is a paradox because this is where humans evolved, so humans had a huge head start in Africa. Tropical diseases kept the Europeans out at first, but those tropical diseases pose a big public health and economic burden on Africa today.

That is linked with colonialism. Europeans could not settle in large numbers, but what they still could do was to extract wealth from Africans, initially slaves, then rubber, diamonds, and copper. Basically that means robbing Africans and setting up legalized institutions for corruption.

Do you worry that audiences may sense an inevitability in your argument—as if we're destined to be either poor or wealthy depending on where we are born, and that there is not much we can do about it?

If you make a complex argument, there will be people out there who will simplify and misuse it. I recognize that there are people who will say geography deals out these certain cards and there's nothing we can do about it. But one can show the evidence and say there is something we can do about it.

Look at Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. They recognized that their biggest disadvantage was public health. They didn't say, “We got these tropical diseases—it's inevitable.” Instead they said, “We have these tropical diseases and they are curable and all it takes is money so let's invest in curing the diseases.”

Today they are rich, virtually First World countries. That shows that poverty is something you can do something about.

People have a misunderstanding that poor countries are doomed to be poor and they should just shut up and lie down and play dead.

But in fact, knowledge is power. Once you know what it is that's making you poor, you can use that knowledge to make you rich.

NAME: ____________________ DUE DATE: ____________________

World History

“Geography is Power: An Interview with Jared Diamond” Worksheet

Directions: Read “Geography is Power: An Interview with Jared Diamond” found on Pages 3-6 of this packet and answer the questions below based on your reading.

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What is the main question Jared Diamond is trying to answer in his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel?

According to Diamond, what caused societies to advance at different rates of development?

According to the article, what similarities existed between the Fertile Crescent (today’s Middle East) and China 11,500 years ago?

Why is a farming society more beneficial than a hunter-gatherer society?

Why is it easier to spread animals, plants, ideas, and technology east and west rather than north and south?

How did the Spaniard conquest of the Incas in 1532 demonstrate the power of advanced European military weapons?

It is estimated that 95 percent of Native American casualties throughout North and South America were not a result of military conquest but as a result of...

How are domesticated animals related to humans gaining immunity to diseases?

Why didn’t Europeans ever settle in large numbers in other parts of Africa (besides southern Africa and the highlands of Kenya?)

How do the examples of Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan show that Jared Diamond’s theory isn’t simply, Geography deals you a certain card and you can never change your luck.

NAME: ________________________ DUE DATE: ____________________

World History

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Episode 1: “Out of Eden”

Overview of Episode1: “Out of Eden” proposes that a society’s potential for advanced development was not determined by race or creed, or by time and experience, but by access to domesticated animals and cultivated plants. The theory of “Geographic Luck” is explained and how the location, natural resources, and the native species and climate provided in certain geographic regions led these civilizations to become more profitable, stronger, and more powerful than others around them. Put simply, Diamond’s idea is that geography helps to determine the wealth of a civilization.

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Directions: Before viewing the film, read each question below so you know what information and ideas you should be looking for as you watch Episode 1. Then answer the questions below. Be prepared to discuss your answers in class following the film.

According to Diamond, what are the three major elements that separate the world’s “haves” from the “have nots?”

Diamond refers to the people of New Guinea as “...among the world’s most culturally diverse and adaptable people in the world...” yet they have much less than modern Americans. Diamond has developed a theory about what has caused these huge discrepancies among different countries, and he says it boils down to geographic luck. Give examples from the film to support the theory of “Geographic Luck.”

For thousands of years, people have been cultivating crops. Describe the process used to domesticate crops and create plants that yielded bigger, tastier harvests.

According to Diamond, livestock also plays a significant role in a civilization’s ability to become rich and powerful. How did the domestication of animals help people?

The animals pictured below can be domesticated. Under each picture write down where the domesticated animal can be found.

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Looking at the domesticated animals and their locations from Question 5, explain how Diamond’s theory of geographic luck applies.

How did the movement of early civilizations of the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) further support Diamond’s idea the geography played a key role in the success of a civilization?

Do you agree with Diamond when he says of a civilization’s ability to gain power, wealth, and strength, “...what’s far more important is the hand that people have been dealt, the raw materials they’ve had at their disposal.” Why or Why not?

NAME: ________________________ DUE DATE: ____________________

World History

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Episode 2: Conquest”

Overview of Episode 2: “Conquest” explores the impact of weapons and disease in shaping the New World. The development of steel for use in weaponry provided certain civilizations with a distinct advantage over those they set out to conquer. This episode chronicles the success of the Spanish Conquistadors and how their use of steel weapons gave them the advantage they needed to overthrow a much larger Inca army.

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Directions: Before viewing the film, read each question below so you know what information and ideas you should be looking for as you watch Episode 2. Then answer the questions below. Be prepared to discuss your answers in class following the film.

At the time that the Spanish conquistador’s invaded the Inca Empire, they were armed with state of the art weaponry. Describe their weaponry.

What is Diamond’s explanation for why the Spanish had advanced to steel swords while the Incas were still making tools and weapons from bronze?

How did the battle tactics used by the Spanish conquistadors help the small army defeat the Inca army that outnumbered them by the thousands?

According to Diamond, what made the Europeans “accidental conquerors?”

How did the development of steel help civilizations gain power?

One of the most important technological advances, according to Diamond, was steel. Another was writing. What role did writing have in the Spanish conquest over the Inca empire? (Think especially about how the battle tactics of Hernan Cortes. How were they passed on and used by the Spanish to defeat the Incas?)

NAME: ________________________ DUE DATE: ____________________

World History

Guns, Germs, and Steel

Episode 3 “Into the Tropics”

Overview of Episode 3: “Into the Tropics” examines the development and colonization of Africa by South Africans and Europeans, and explains why geography is still a factor in forming the divide between those with money and resources and those without. This episode explains the significant impact germs have had on the world’s civilizations.

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Directions: Before viewing the film, read each question below so you know what information and ideas you should be looking for as you watch Episode 3. Then answer the questions below. Be prepared to discuss your answers in class following the film.

According to Diamond, what is the one factor that allowed Europeans to develop the forces necessary to conquer vast portions of the world?

Why were the Europeans who settled the South African cape so successful? Describe two reasons.

How did diseases allow the Europeans to conquer the native populations in the Americas and in the African cape?

While the Europeans who were attempting to overtake/settle the tropical areas of the African continent were responsible for introducing killer germs to the native populations, they also suffered from the effects of the germs native to this part of the world. Describe how these germs worked against the European settlers.

How did the native Africans protect themselves from the germs that caused diseases such as smallpox and malaria? Give specific examples from Episode 3.

How has the colonization of Africa created countries riddled with disease?

How has disease contributed to the poverty in many African countries such as Zambia?

Describe how other tropical countries such as Malaysia and Singapore have developed rich economies despite having many of the same geographical and health problems faced by African nations.

Episode 1:

|Backgrounder for Teachers: |
| |
|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. The natural resources available to them coupled with the native species and climate provided by their |
|geography led them to become more agricultural and less reliant on hunting and gathering for sustenance. This agrarian lifestyle, in turn, |
|allowed for the development of “specialists” within the civilization who could work on developing and perfecting the technologies necessary|
|to make these civilizations more profitable, stronger, and more powerful than others around them. Diamond asserts that those living in |
|temperate climates with indigenous animals that could be domesticated were more likely to develop advanced civilizations. |
|Assumed Student Prior Knowledge |
|Students will need to have a basic understanding of latitude and longitude and the location and size of the world’s continents. In |
|addition, students will need to understand the words “cultivate” and “domesticate.” |
|Teaching Strategy: |
| |
|Part 1: Geographic Luck |
|The land of riches and opportunity is how most people worldwide would describe America. We are, undisputedly, the richest nation on Earth. |
|Yet when we examine America’s history, we learn that our riches do not date back thousands of years like China or the areas of the Middle |
|East once referred to as the “Fertile Crescent”. Rather, America has gained its riches over a relatively short period of time. |
| |
|Next, introduce students to the The World feature from the Guns, Germs and Steel website available at |
|www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/world/index.html |
| |
|The theory of Geographic Luck explains why most of the wealth in the world is found in areas north of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees |
|North Latitude). |

|Do you agree or disagree with Jared Diamond’s theory about geography being the main determining factor in which countries became rich and |
|powerful through the development of technology and conquest and which countries remain impoverished and underdeveloped in relation to the |
|rest of the world. Explain your reasons why using specific reasons, facts, and examples. |

EPISODE 2:

|Backgrounder for Teachers: |
| |
|This episode explores, in more depth, the idea that geographic luck enabled some cultures to become more agricultural, thus allowing them |
|to establish larger settlements with people specializing in many aspects of technological development. One of these was the development of |
|steel for use in weaponry. Diamond chronicles the success of the Spanish Conquistadors and how the use of written language gave them an |
|advantage over the Incas, along with their advanced weapons including guns and state of the art steel swords. These two things combined |
|allowed the Spanish to overthrow a much larger Inca army, thus taking control of their empire and its riches. |

|Assumed Student Prior Knowledge |
|Students will need a basic understanding of Jared Diamond’s theory that certain civilizations gained great power and wealth and were able |
|to conquer much of the world because of simple, geographic luck. They had access to the best resources because of where they lived. In |
|addition, students should have some understanding of who the Spanish Conquistadors were and where and when the Inca Empire was in power. |

Review Jared Diamond's theory that the reason the Europeans were able to conquer the majority of the world was because they had a geographic advantage. Explain that Diamond's theory suggests that the Europeans were able to grow the most nutritious crops and raise the most domesticated animals. This, in turn, allowed them to prosper and create societies where people could specialize in a given area, thus producing technological advances that allowed them to conquer other civilizations.

Next, explain to students that they will be viewing Guns, Germs and Steel: Episode Two to learn more about how the Europeans managed to take control of the vast Inca Empire and overthrow the native South Americans with virtually no loss of European lives.

EPISODE 3:

|Backgrounder for Teachers: |
| |
|Teachers will need to look at the role that germs played in the historic conquests of the world as well as how the spread of these same |
|diseases today is keeping many of the world’s poorest countries from developing. The economic, social, and technological impact of the |
|spread of germs and disease and how this part of Diamond’s theory remains true even today will be explored in this lesson. |

|Assumed Student Prior Knowledge |
|For this lesson, students need to understand Diamond’s theories related to geographic luck and how this luck allows some countries to |
|growth and conquer while others develop at a much slower pace. Students will need to understand the words epidemic and endemic. |

|Teaching Strategy: |
| |
|Part 1: The Power of Germs |
|Create student interest by asking students to answers the following questions (Multiple Choice on the Board): |
|Most deaths in children under age 5 are due to: |
|infectious diseases and malnutrition |
|premature birth/birth defects |
|accidents |
| |
|Answer: A (More than 5 million each year die from diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhea combined with malnutrition-mostly in developing |
|countries) |
| |
|True or False: At least 40% of the deaths in children under age 5 that occur worldwide each year could be prevented by administering |
|existing vaccines to young children. |
| |
|Answer: True Of the 5 million + children under five who die each year, 2 million deaths could be prevented by administering existing |
|vaccines and most of the rest would be preventable by other means (i.e. good nutrition, hygiene, clean water, etc.) |
| |
|List what you believe are the 5 most deadly infectious diseases worldwide. |
| |
|Answer: Acute Lower Respiratory Infections/Pneumonia (3.7 million), Tuberculosis (2.9 million), Diarrhea (2.5 million), HIV/AIDS (2.3 |
|million), and Malaria (1.5-2.7 million) |
| |
|Source: World Health Organization, “50 Facts: Global Health Situation and Trends 1955-2025” |

Once students have answered each question, facilitate a class discussion and provide students with the correct answers to each question. In the discussion, pose questions such as:
Were you surprised by the answers to any of the questions? If so, which ones, and why?

As a person living in the U.S., would you expect to suffer from the infectious diseases that are the top killers worldwide? Why?

In an age where so much medical technology is available, particularly in the form of medications and vaccines, why do you think so many people are still dying from preventable diseases?

How does it make you feel when you think about people in developing countries dying from these types of diseases at alarmingly high rates?

Who should be responsible for helping to eradicate these diseases? Why?