Guns, Germs, and Steel Flashcards
According to Jared Diamond, what are the three major elements that separate the world’s “haves” from the “have nots”?
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Jared 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 several examples from the film to support Diamond’s theory.
The people of New Guinea are incredibly smart and adaptable. They spend their entire life in the jungle, learning how to live and thrive there. One reason why Diamond’s theory is correct is because depending on what you have access to, determines what you can do. This gives certain places advantages or disadvantages based on geographic location.
For thousands of years, people have been cultivating crops. Describe the process used to domesticate crops and create plants that yielded bigger, tastier harvests.
To create crops that yield bigger and tastier harvest you first would collect a crop like wheat. Your animals that you have domesticated could now eat the remains of those crops. The waste of those animals will then help fertilize the soil, resulting in a better harvest.
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? Give several examples.
The domestication of animals helped people in many ways. Animals, such as cattle, provided food, leather, and power. They could use the skin as cloths. They also can use the cow to help plow their fields. Cows also produce milk, which is another large source of protein
List the animals that can be domesticated and where they can be found.
Cattle, goats, sheep, horses, and many more. Most of these animals are found in North Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Looking at the list of animals and locations from question 5, discuss how Diamond’s theory about geographic luck applies here.
In Papa New Guinea, the only animal that is of some use to them, is the pig. In other places, like The Middle East, the people there had access to goats and cattle which helped them greatly during development.
How did the movement of the early civilizations of the Fertile Crescent (Middle East) further support Diamond’s idea that geography played a key role in the success of a civilization?
The people who lived in the Fertile Crescent had to eventually abandon their homes and move because they over used their environment. It could no longer support them and their needs.
Do you agree with Jared 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?
Yes, I do agree with Jared Diamond and his theory. Depending on what you have access to, you can only manage to do so much developing. The people of Papa New Guinea were so busy trying to feed themselves, they had no time to develop technology. The people in the Middle East had a very quick and easy way of being fed, so they had more time for development.
