Week 5: Slides and Notes (15-17) Flashcards
Define Jared Diamond
An author and scholar known for his book Guns, Germs, and Steel, which explores how environmental factors and geographical distribution influenced the success of civilizations.
Define Conquistadors
Spanish soldiers and explorers who led military expeditions in the Americas, seeking wealth and territory, often bringing European diseases that decimated indigenous populations.
How did the arrival of Spanish conquistadors affect indigenous populations in the Americas?
The conquistadors brought European diseases to which indigenous populations had no immunity, causing massive mortality and weakening resistance to colonization.
Why were diseases particularly deadly for the Inca population when the Spanish arrived?
The Inca had limited contact with domesticated animals and no previous exposure to European diseases, making them highly susceptible due to lack of immunity.
In what year did the world population reach 6 billion?
A) 1950
B) 1975
C) 1999
D) 2011
C
What did Spanish conquistadors unknowingly bring with them that acted as a “weapon of mass destruction” against the Inca?
A) Disease
B) Superior weapons
C) Horses
D) Advanced navigational tools
A
True or False: By the time Francisco Pizarro reached the Inca Empire, European diseases had already begun to spread in the Americas, decimating local populations
Answer: True
Reason: Diseases brought by earlier European contact had already started to spread among indigenous populations, even before direct encounters with the Spanish.
True or False: The Inca had similar immunity to diseases as the Spanish because of their own history with domesticated animals
Answer: False
Reason: The Inca lacked a history of extensive animal domestication, meaning they were less exposed to diseases and had little immunity to European pathogens.
Explain why population growth at rates like 250,000 people per day can be challenging for global resources.
Rapid population growth increases the demand for food, water, housing, and healthcare, putting pressure on finite resources and the environment and raising questions about sustainability.
Describe the power advantage that Spanish horses provided during battles against indigenous populations like the Inca.
Horses provided mobility, speed, and psychological impact, as indigenous groups like the Inca had not previously encountered cavalry, making the Spanish seem more formidable.
