...easy beast to tame, and one shouldn’t expect an explanation to come easily. To Jared Diamond, there is a combined ecological and political explanation for what caused the collapse of The Southwest civilizations such as the Anasazi. The Anasazi saw a rapid increase in population in the late 1300s, and when the weather continued to provide positive weather conditions for growth, their empire expanded into lands that were not as fertile to provide food and resources for their growing population. When the weather ceased to grant the Anasazi people quite as much potency, a drought occurred and famine thereafter. The only way to produce food was to use the fertile lands left in the middle of the empire, but this wasn’t nearly enough to feed the entire empire. Thus, the empire collapsed due to overzealously...
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...The significance of Cecil Rhodes on the British Empire It is true, Cecil Rhodes had an unquestionable impact on the British Empire and has become one of the most important figures in British Imperial history. The rapidity of his progress in South Africa is quite phenomenal; from the age of 37 he had become the Prime Minister of Cape Colony, and was part head of De Beers Consolidated, a diamond mining company which possessed a near monopoly of the global diamond market. However, this essay will claim that Rhodes as a businessman was not the main element in his imperial notoriety, prioritising NM Rothschild & Sons finance and subsequent corporate decisions over those made specifically by Rhodes. I will argue that Rhodes’ significance was mainly to the detriment of the British Empire, as his political blunders and capitalistic short-sightedness greatly tarnished public opinion towards Empire - nationally and internationally - and facilitated Britains losing independence in the Boer war of 1899. Rhodes’ methods were questionable to say the least, and his ability to strengthen Britain, whilst at the same time tarnish her long standing reputation as justified sovereign of her colonies was, impressive, to say the most. It has been said that Rhodes’ impeccable success as an imperialist can be greatly accredited to his success as a businessman. For it was his speculation in diamond and gold mining proper which facilitated his amass of wealth. Needless to say, the role of international...
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...dominated the world market for diamonds at that time, he played a controversial role in British history. Rhode’s fierce support for British Imperialism can clearly be seen as he envisaged bringing not only of the whole African continent under British Domination but the ultimate recovery of the United States of America to the British Empire. There were literally no limits to Rhode’s ambitions. He was a megalomaniac and this can be seen by his dream of creating the ultimate imperial railway from Cape to Cairo which would bring together all the British colonies in Africa. Firstly Rhode’s was responsible for expanding the British Colony of South Africa northwards from the cape. He was able to conquer many areas mainly using the BSAC (given to him in 1899). What is more Cecil Rhodes was the main catalyst towars many wars and conflicts such as the Battle of Shangani River of 1893 and the catastrophic for the British Second Boer War (also known as the South African war of 1899-1903). Last but not least another short- term significance of Rhodes was the deterioration of the lives of the native Africans through the racist attitudes he cemented during his terms as Prime Minister of the Cape Colony. To begin with, it is almost certain that the most significant short-term consequence of Cecil Rhodes during the years of 1882-1902 was that he was able to expand the British Empire towards the north of Africa. According to Niall Ferguson: “he dreamt of becoming an empire builder” and indeed he succeeded...
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...firearms, steel sword, armor and horses; but their potent weapon turn out to be their own germs. Since the native people of the Americas didn’t know what all of these advantages were, their population weakened. In the book Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond shows how the common cold and other germs played as much a role as anything else. In the article “World History for Behavior Analysts: Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Stuart A Vyse explains more about the struggles the native people went through and how they were defeated. Peoples of Eurasian origin, plus those...
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...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...
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...Economics throughout the British Empire has always had to be focused on maintenance, especially in Africa. But as we will establish, Geo-strategic and Political factors, put strain on the Empire’s ability to preserve its economy, and caused dismantlement in Africa between the years of 1870 - 1980. Though the factors of the latter, outweigh that of economics, as they all relied on perfect economics in order to be maintained or in order for the Empire to expand. As a result of two World Wars, the British where wasting resources annually trying to uphold its colonies, and as a result, simply ran out of finance and began relying on its allies, such as the USA, for support. In addition, the looming Cold War priorities meant that Britain could no longer provide for her colonies in Africa, eventually leading to dismantlement. The first issues to consider are the financial and economical impact that Africa had on the Empire, pre-world war and during the African Scramble, which contributed to the expansion of the Empire in Africa. The diamond industry became the key to the economic fortunes of the Empire in Southern Africa in the late 1800s. Though intrinsically worthless, Cecil Rhodes, who had succeeded in monopolising the diamond industry in Southern Africa, allowed the value to increase, by restricting its sales. Diamonds, which were mined from the Transvaal region, accounted for (1) “£4,000,000 (£181,600,000 today), of a £15,000,000 (£618,000,000 today)” economy. South Africa was...
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...Kabir During the 14th century in India, the Vijayanagar Empire was in power with the Sangama dynasty based in southern India. It was established in 1336 and lasted until 1646, but was on the decline since the 1500s due to losing battles with the military. During the rule of the Vijayanagar Empire, the empire revolutionized the way Hindu temples were constructed architecturally. During this century, according to legend, the mystic poet Kabir was born. Kabir is an Arabic name that means “The Great” which is also the 37th name of God in Islam. No one is sure how he was born, but legend says he was a virgin birth or the son of a Brahman widow. Though, it is known that he was brought up by a muslim family that weaved for a living. In the Indian tradition, Kabir is known to have lived over 120 years, which would be from the late 14th century to the 16th, but others believe that his death occurred in the middle of the 15th century. Another traditional legend about his death was that when he passed away, the Muslims and Indians fought over who got the last rights, because he was raised by muslims, yet lived in India. When they lifted the cloth covering his body, however, they found flowers instead of his body. Kabir was a very important person in Indian history especially with his philosophic ideas. Kabir mixed both Muslim and Indian concepts into his own ideas. He took the Hindu ideas of reincarnation, which is life after death being reborn, and Karma, which is that all of your...
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...possible reduction of precipitation. Since the Mayans depended on water reservoirs from precipitation, this would have had a detrimental effect. Initially the Mayan civilization prospered throughout the lowlands. From 300 B.C. to 900 A.D. the Mayans developed a relatively productive agriculture-based economy based on the surrounding terrains, which lead to expansions in population. Mayan agriculture suffered from various limitations, which made their level of stability somewhat fragile. The Mayans relied heavily upon a narrow range of crops including corn, which made up 70% of their diet, as well as beans, squash and maze (Diamond, 2003), (McNeill & McNeill, 2003). There is some dispute about the population density but many estimates put the range between 250-750 and even as high as 1500 people per square mile in main urban areas of the lowlands (Diamond, 2005, p163). Researchers believe these huge increases in population pushed practices of stripping the forest cover and...
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...Glorious Past – War for wealth & wealth for war India is country known for a rich history of wealth and many small and diverse kingdoms before the British came and stole what was rightfully ours. They who came to trade left with almost all of our money, all our knowledge and left us with a poor understanding of society and new and upcoming inventions and innovations which occurred in the world during that time. India, once called a land of paradise, a land which had wealth not only of monetary value but also in terms of our vast knowledge on science, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, trade, architecture, arts and sculpture and many other areas. Indian Kings should the world their wealth by building great many structures, acquiring rare diamonds, breeding white horses and gifting them to all the foreign dignitaries. Although it doesn’t feel like one, India was one of the richest nations in the world up to the 17th Century. In fact most of our country was attacked because of huge amounts of wealth and money that people had here. If history proves anything, it proves that in ancient times, India was the richest country in the world. The fact that she has always been the cynosure of all eyes, Asiatic or European, that people of less favored climes have always cast longing looks on her glittering treasures, and that the ambition of all conquerors has been to possess India, prove that she has been reputed to be the richest country in the world. Her sunny climate, unrivalled fertility...
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...The Rise and Fall of Rome The Economics Behind an Empire 4/18/2013 ECO 120 Seb Jaramillo The Rise and Fall of Rome To many people, the ancient world has always been a topic of great interest and study. The ancient world is essentially the explanation for how the world ended up where it is today. Our ancestors laid down the foundation that would help form and mold today’s civilization and the way people live out their lives in modern times. Perhaps no civilization of the past did more for the future than the efforts and contributions of the Roman Empire. For almost a millennia, the Romans controlled the vast majority of the world. Their Empire made it possible to spread wealth and knowledge to the far corners of the world and lay down a base common knowledge that helped pave the path for people to follow. This paper shall look into the background of Rome and see what economic forces helped lead to the formation of such a formidable empire. What allowed these people to become so wealthy and construct a vast territory? Why was it easy for the Romans to do so much while many other nations are still set back in our day and age? The paper shall also look at the forces at work near the end of the Western Empire that brought an end to the glory and majesty of Rome and how this knowledge can perhaps produce a means of prevention of the same fate for the United States. The city of Rome became a Republic around the year 509 BC. By the end of the first century BC Rome controlled...
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...the British people and those with power to influence may not have been whole-hearted imperialists throughout these 32 years. Nevertheless, whilst it’s also possible that the British weren’t as active in the years predating 1870; the Boer War presents a horrific illustration that even after the war, there were more passionate imperials than reluctant individuals. Hence why I am going to argue that the British definitely were reluctant imperialists; however only sought to defend their territories when they felt threatened and in doing so, they increased their Empire in the process. Firstly, it’s clear to state that every British citizen had the same imperialist ideas as Cecil Rhodes, a man who’s dubbed as the “most famous man on the spot”. However, it wasn’t only Rhodes as it’s possible the find that there were other ‘men on the spot’ that shared similar views and worried about the future of Britain and that of its Empire. Thus affirming that it appears that even the British government had no control over these individuals as several historians have claimed that “these men had grand schemes of their own…they gained the support of the government to complete the process”. Additionally, had it not been for the men on the spot; I believe that the British government would have remained reluctant as Incognitowl says that “the...
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...Jared Diamond’s journey to uncover the roots of inequality began in the rain forest of New Guinea. Then came the question that would make diamond stop in his tracks’ it was put bluntly by a man called Yali whom he met on the beach thirty years ago, “ why do white men have so much more cargo, and we New Guinea have so little”. The question really through diamond off, it seem so simple and obvious and he thought there must been a simple answer “but when he asked me, I had no idea what that answer was”. New Guineans use the word cargo to describe the material goods first brought to their country by the westerners. And the question remained why, since ancient times, have some societies progressed faster than others? All great civilizations have...
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...societies and how they survived under different political and cultural circumstances. After reading the preface of this book, I was very glad that there is one book intended mainly for students and lay persons to provide an understanding of how our ancestors transformed their societies and moved through periods of crisis. I found this book very readable and thought provoking, especially for readers like me, who don’t have an anthropological background. This book was written by a group of Archeologists, Anthropologists and Social workers. It has very interesting collection of essays responding to Jared Diamond’s popular writings, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed and Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. Diamond is a Professor of Geography at UCLA, not an anthropologist, archaeologist, or historian. He makes most complex and abstruse publications of historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists easily understandable for a larger public. This...
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...Agricultural Revolution: Greatest Achievement or Greatest Failure? Jared Diamond challenges his readers to think critically about how our modern society obtains its food and the havoc it has wreaked on humankind. His title “The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race” clearly rings of passion but is it hyperbole? And what is the subject of his scrutiny? The adoption of agriculture. Modern American society is encultured in what he calls the “progressivist” mentality which is the belief that “human history over the past million years has been a long tale of progress” (Diamond, 1987). As explained by Diamond, progressivists celebrate the agricultural revolution crediting it with our ability to enjoy a variety of foods, have more leisure time, create art and build empires, lead long and healthy lives without the daily worry and trouble to find wild foods and avoid starvation. But Diamond brings forth some troubling news to rain on the progressivist’s parade. Those recent archaeology discoveries (now outdated) attempted to discredit the long held beliefs that the human race is better off because of adopted agriculture. “The adoption of agriculture, supposedly our most decisive step toward a better life, was in many ways a catastrophe from which we have never recovered. With agriculture came the gross social and sexual inequality, the disease and despotism, that curse our existence.” (Diamond, 1987). The support for this hypothesis is in the findings of indirect...
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...Jackie Labor Case Study #2: Diamonds are Forever 2/11/2015 Provide a historical overview of the campaign. What were the factors in the industry/market that led to it? What specific consumers were targeted? Did competitive factors play a role? When was it launched and how long did it run? Who were the key players/strategists/agencies involved? * During the time of this diamond campaign, there was a diamond rush going on in South Africa. Every diamond company raced over to start mining in South Africa. Cecil Rhodes had bought land from brothers Johannes Nicholas and Diederik Arnoldus de Beer. On March 12, 1888, De Beers Consolidated Mines Ltd. Was formed and the empire began to spread throughout Europe. Sir Ernest Oppenhiemer grew tremendous interest in the company and ended up establishing the Diamond Trading Co. in Kimberly, South Africa and London, England. Harry Oppenheimer was on the board of De Beer’s company. He took a trip to the United States to test a pilot marketing campaign but ended up with this full-fledged advertising campaign that has been successful ever since (Posnock, 2006). * In 1931, through the mist of The Great Depression and later World War 2, diamond competitors were emerging such as Gemological Institute of America (GIA), The Diamond’s Dealer Club of New York, and Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association (Posnock, 2006). * Russia found diamond mines that were similar to the ones found in South Africa, so they became a crucial competitor...
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