Have you ever wondered why the modern world is so unequal? Why the United States is so technologically advanced while places like Papua New Guinea and places in Africa still rely on a hunter-gatherer way of life? Jared Diamond contemplates these questions through his exploration of geographic luck and evaluation of the first development of guns, germs, and steel. Among the various contributors to the initial progression of growing nations (and guns, germs, and steel) include: the cultivation of wheat, smallpox and malaria resistance, general continent shape and location, as well as the development of writing.
Cultivation of wheat led those in the fertile crescent to surpass others who didn’t have the advantage of hearty grain to keep them …show more content…
Also, the invention of writing allows for easier information access. Permitting Spanish leaders and conquistadors, such as Pizarro the knowledge that Cortes (another conquistador) recorded about his battle against the Aztecs. Pizarro basically copied Cortes’ whole battle strategy, causing him to achieve victory in his battle against the Incas, despite the fact that he was outnumbered by nearly 80,000 men, and not a single conquistador was lost in the process. Though writing was initially made to document transactions between farmers and merchants, it quickly transformed into a method of disseminating what was considered common knowledge in one area all throughout an entire civilization; this soon became a necessity in the Fertile Crescent (Prososki, Writing). The Incas, on the other hand, lacked a system for recording data. This turned out to be one of the greatest burdens to societal development for the Incan civilization. Without a method of writing, they were unable to notify each other of crucial events, such as spread of smallpox, and forthcoming attacks from conquistadors. They instead ended up blindsided massacred immediately and had no form of defense
Cultivation of wheat led those in the fertile crescent to surpass others who didn’t have the advantage of hearty grain to keep them …show more content…
Also, the invention of writing allows for easier information access. Permitting Spanish leaders and conquistadors, such as Pizarro the knowledge that Cortes (another conquistador) recorded about his battle against the Aztecs. Pizarro basically copied Cortes’ whole battle strategy, causing him to achieve victory in his battle against the Incas, despite the fact that he was outnumbered by nearly 80,000 men, and not a single conquistador was lost in the process. Though writing was initially made to document transactions between farmers and merchants, it quickly transformed into a method of disseminating what was considered common knowledge in one area all throughout an entire civilization; this soon became a necessity in the Fertile Crescent (Prososki, Writing). The Incas, on the other hand, lacked a system for recording data. This turned out to be one of the greatest burdens to societal development for the Incan civilization. Without a method of writing, they were unable to notify each other of crucial events, such as spread of smallpox, and forthcoming attacks from conquistadors. They instead ended up blindsided massacred immediately and had no form of defense