The explanation of why there is such a distinct difference between poor countries and wealthy countries lies in their geography and their access to guns, germs, and steel. The answer seems too simple to many people who disagree with Jared Diamond. However, it doesn’t change the fact that it all makes complete sense. The lines between successful civilizations and unsuccessful ones are all based on the resources the landscape provides. The New Guineans, Incas, and Africans never had the opportunity and resources to develop advanced technology like the Europeans and early middle easterners did.
The New Guineans and Africans are immensely culturally diverse and highly adaptable people. So it wouldn’t be hard to assume that they are also among the wealthiest and most successful. They are not. This is because of their long disadvantage due to their location. Europeans always have had the advantage, not because of race or intelligence but because of geography. The people living in the Fertile Crescent were the first to have the advantage because they were blessed with resources essential to civilization. The drought in the Middle East during the Stone Age forced people to adapt.
Their way of doing this was to plant crops by villages so food was easier to access. Hunting and gathering became obsolete to farming. Because food became easier to come by people no longer had to spend time hunting. With demand for food providers decreased, people started to develop technologies and specialize in specific areas. This made advances in technology possible and the culture quickly became very innovative because of the time farming allowed them to have. The Middle Easterners also had thirteen out of fourteen types of animals that have been domesticated.
The rest of the world struggled during this time because there were no such animals. For example, the New Guineans did not have any domesticated animals or nutritious plants to farm native to the land. The New Guineans were forced to hunt and gather like the Middle Easterners did before farming. The New Guineans lifestyle limits the precious time outside of hunting and gathering to develop new technology. The lack of animals to use for muscle power in farming was also an issue because they didn’t have any powerful animals to pull plows.
The Middle Easterners possessed everything needed to develop a sophisticated society while the New Guineans did not. If the New Guineans were given the geography and resources the Middle Easterners had, then the New Guineans would have been just as successful and advanced. However, the Middle East’s resources were exhausted because of the lack of knowledge about conserving resources. The people of the Middle East were able to move laterally to land with a similar climate capable of being farmed with their methods.
The movement of the Middle Easterners spread technology all across Europe giving the early advantage to the Europeans. The first clash between advanced civilization and primitive civilization occurred between the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadors. The spread of ideas from the Middle East had not reached the Incas so they lacked knowledge about steel weapons the Conquistadors possessed. The reason for the gap in knowledge is a result of the European’s superior geography. The people who didn’t farm learned how to work with fire to make strong and useful steel.
The Incas did not have the privilege of having such people. Steel quickly became cutting edge technology and the cornerstone of the Spanish military Without the weapons to match the Spanish the Incas were easily conquered by the Conquistadors. The Incas lost the battle long before the Spanish arrived. The Incas fate was sealed when they were given isolated land with no animals for domestication. The Incas had no experience around farm animals because they still needed to hunt for meat. As a result, the Incas’ immune systems had no defense for the germs the Spanish brought.
However, the Spanish’s immune systems built up immunity to the germs because they were in constant contact with the animals they farmed. The Small Pox virus devastated the Incas’ population and gave another advantage to the Spanish. Once again, without superior geography, isolated civilizations are put at a monumental disadvantage. The Spanish were the first to acquire guns, germs, and steel which in turn, made them the most powerful people in the world. The Spanish dominance continued in South Africa. The Spanish soon found themselves in a war with the Zulu tribe. The Zulu was able to drive the Spanish back with a surprise attack.
The second attack however, the Spanish would be ready. The Spanish circled their wagons and used the circle as a stronghold. The Spanish used their rifles to completely decimate the Zulu people and won the Battle of Blood River. The Zulus joined New Guineans and the Incas on the list of unlucky civilizations. The Europeans implemented railroads for transport across Africa. Around this time, the Europeans developed the world’s first automatic gun. The weapon was unstoppable and it overwhelmed and overcame any attackers. With the power the Europeans now possessed, they began to extract Africa’s wealth for their own profit.
However, the Africans had germs on their side. The Africans traveled in small groups and in strategic areas to prevent disease. The Africans also had some immunity to the diseases present on Africa. The Europeans were placed in the same situation the Incas were in. Many of them died due to the disease. The Europeans also did not know how to farm on the more northern African land because the climate was so much different. The Africans had knowledge of tropical farming but the Europeans did not. Many of the European animals also died from disease. The Europeans’ thirst would not die as they continued to take advantage of Africa.
The Belgians destroyed African villages and forced Africans to work in mines. The consequences of grouping the Africans in large towns were and continue to be catastrophic. Africans lived in small groups to prevent disease but the Belgians forced them to join together. This led to the rapid spread of disease and the destruction of the old African ways. In the present day Malaria robs Africa of both its people and its money. Africa’s disease riddled counties are a result of their geography. Their fate was also sealed long before guns, germs, and steel. No race is simply superior to another based on the capabilities of their minds and bodies.
The lines between the wealthy and poor countries are not a result of differences in skin color. The differences are created by their geographical luck or the lack there of. If any civilization were to be blessed with all the Europeans were given, then we would be talking about an entirely different people holding power in the past and in the modern world. The New Guineans’, Incas’, and Africans’ detriment is a result in the failure to acquire guns, germs, and steel. The world’s history plays out much like dominoes falling in a line because one action will affect numerous other outcomes thro
