Germs Vs Steel

How did the dominant countries of the world come to be dominant? Or, how did people living in the same time period, with crude and primitive technology come to overthrow other neighboring countries? Especially since these countries were inhabited by people with relatively the same intelligence levels as themselves. However, some historians would conclude that intelligence was, in fact, the main deciding factor for the overthrow of some countries. However, in this book, Jared Diamond tells how guns, germs, and steel are, in effect, the reasons for some cultures being superior over others. Jared Diamond is a professor of geography at the University of California, and the best-selling author of "Collapse," and "The Third Chimpanzee." Diamond

Back then, the guns were very hard to load and fire. However, when these guns did fire they created a very intimidating effect on the opponent. Weapons such as: steel swords, lances, and daggers were far more effective. Unfortunately, the Indians were armed only with blunt clubs, which were somewhat effective, but were not able to kill any of the Spaniards. The Spaniards also had armor made of steel, and the Indians had worn armor made of cloth. Obviously, the steel prevailed over the stone. All of these factors contributed to the Spanish success over the Incas. Germs, small and sneaky microbes, also played a role in the defeat of certain cultures. Disease has been the greatest cause of deaths, and has helped to shape history. Diseases spread rapidly amongst people who were at war, because one side would have immunity to a certain disease, but the other side would not. Therefore, the epidemic would be passed on from a culture with a high immunity to a culture with a low immunity. It all depended on where you lived. Some cities or places were more immune to certain diseases and infections, while others had not yet been exposed to

I do agree that it was all about location in the selection of ruler over those oppressed or over-run. So often we do not think of disease as a huge factor when it comes to who wins a war and who loses, but this book showed me that they were very effective, and powerful in destroying certain communities. Different armies would bring different disease with them from where they lived, spreading them to a new population. This method of warfare was far more effective than the guns were at times. Sometimes the guns would not work, or would be too hard to fire to protect oneself, but the germs knew no limits. Then, of course, there were no guns or weapons without the production of steel, and even then not all populations had the resources to make steel. It is all about location, and even which memory cells you may or may not have. Overall, this was a fascinating book to read, and nice to be able to see someone else’s point of view on such an interesting