The Collapse And Recovery Of Societies - Essay Example

? The collapse and recovery of societies: A matter of geography and human ingenuity 5 October Why did European and Asian societies advance faster than Native American and African societies, in terms of the sophistication of their economies, political systems, and technologies? Jared Diamonds offered an interesting thesis in the National Geography/PBS documentary Gun, Germs, and Steel (2005), which is based on his book that shares the same title. He argued that geography had a large role in determining which societies advanced and which stagnated. By advancement, this does not pertain to a Eurocentric thinking, but one where a greater value was placed on societies that were able to defend themselves from the colonization attacks of the Europeans. After all, numerous societies that did not withstand the technology, resources, and diseases of the European conquistadores mostly died out centuries ago. Societies collapsed because of environmental and human-made constraints and problems, and they recovered because of the ability of humans to be flexible and to adapt to their conditions, sometimes to the extent of being inhuman to other human beings. Environmental limitations delayed the growth of societies or led to their collapse. Diamond compared and contrasted the availability of plants and animals that can be domesticated in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Papua New Guinea. He learned that countries with highly advanced societies had more domesticated animals and plants. Of the fourteen animal species that can be domesticated, 12 are native to Eurasia (Diamond, 2005, episode 1). South America domesticated the llama, while the farmers of New Guinea domesticated the pig. But pigs cannot plow farm lands, and by the time the Europeans arrived at Papua New Guinea at the 20th century, New Guinean farming depended on their hands (Diamond, 2005, 1). As for the distribution of domesticated plant species in the world, many of them are native to Europe and Asia, such as wheat, barley and rice. Only two plant species are native to Tropical Africa (sorghum and yams), only one is native to the Americas (corn), and one in Papua New Guinea (taro). Australian natives had no domesticable plant available to them (Diamond, 2005, 1). The distribution of natural resources proves that geography consequently affected the interests and activities of the people. Human-made problems contributed to the collapse of civilizations. The section “Recovery in China: The Ming Dynasty” described the descent of the Mongol’s Yuan dynasty. Some of their major problems are economic and political by nature. Financial mismanagement disabled the state from supporting public goods and services. In addition, political division produced factions among Mongols. Soon, the Mongols left China altogether in a state of financial and political ruin. In the case of the Incas, their civilization died because of the steel technology of the Europeans, among other factors. In Episode 2 of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond (2005) explained the geographical advantages of the Europeans. Geography provided Europe with rich sources of iron and wood, and a climate that suited high-temperature metallurgy (Diamond, 2005, 2). Geography helped the communication of ideas and technologies too. Gunpowder travelled thousands of miles, where it originated from China and exported to Spain (Diamond, 2005, 2). At the same time, the competition in Europe resulted to a kind of “medieval arms race” (Diamond, 2005, 2). Pizarro's conquistadors already accessed the latest and best weapons technology: guns and swords (Diamond, 2005, 2). The Incas, on the contrary, did not work on iron as a weapon and did not have access to gun power (Diamond, 2005, 2). Warfare technology did not reach their isolated territories too (Diamond, 2005, 2). Hence, the Incas faced the problem of poor access to resources and knowhow regarding warfare technology. Through the “steel” part of the colonization process, a hundred conquistadores were enough to wipe out tens and thousands of natives. Another problem that humans posed to older civilizations is a form of natural biological weapon, the spread of germs. In Episode 3 of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond (2005) described how European diseases single-handedly exterminated thousands of natives. He stressed the power of germs to weaken, not only the physical conditions of the people, but as well as their resolve to fight their oppressors: “…European germs laid the foundations for European conquest -decimating native populations who had no previous exposure to diseases like smallpox” (3). These germs give evidence that the Europeans already possessed a weapon that can be as dangerous as their steel weapons: their own developed immune systems. The natives, on the contrary, suffered because of their unprepared immune systems. Biology has affected their ability to recover. Technological development supported the recovery of societies. “Recovery in Western Europe: State Building” illustrated the numerous factors that helped societies recover from past political and economic turmoil. In Europe, revenues from trade and taxes supported military financing (“Recovery in Western Europe,” p.353). Spain tapped its revenues to develop military and navy technology. Whoever owned the seas largely controlled the direction of trade and commerce, which affected political power and influence (“Recovery in Western Europe,” p.354). Technological development was not enough, because cultural recovery completed the humanist approach to the revitalization of civilizations. Italian Renaissance Art promoted innovations in arts and literature. Italian artists examined the human form and emotions to produce realistic art forms (“Recovery in Western Europe,” p.355). Leonardo da Vinci used the linear perspective as an effective technique in turning two-dimensional art into three-dimensional objects (“Recovery in Western Europe,” p.354). Donatello and Michelangelo portrayed realistic human forms that diverged from earlier awkward poses of earlier sculptors (“Recovery in Western Europe,” p.354). In China, the Ming Dynasty financed a form of cultural revival. During this time, Emperor Hong-Wu sought to eradicate all cultural remnants of the Mongol by preventing the use of Mongol clothing and names (“Recovery in China”). Ming Emperors also actively promoted Chinese cultures through spreading Confucian and neo-Confucian schools. Cultural development improved the thinking of the people, which was also essential to the recovery of civilizations. Recovery hastened through colonization, as European powers amassed greater influence and wealth through the resources of their colonies. In “Colonization of the Atlantic Islands,” the Portuguese conquered West African colonies, where they traded various colonial goods. Italians invested in sugar plantations in the Mediterranean islands, which exported products to Europe that swiftly developed a large demand for sweets during the twelfth century. Slavery supported the human resource needs of the burgeoning transatlantic business activities of the West. In “Slave Trade,” the Portuguese expanded the slave trade to develop their sugar industries. Thousands of slaves were captured in Africa and forced to work in North American, South America, and the Caribbean region. The natives were enslaved in America or brought to Spain to be sold as slaves. As slaves, the natives frequently died of disease and overfatigue, especially considering the emotional hardships of losing their freedoms. A system to control the slaves was developed. Columbus created repartimiento or “Indian grants” which were comparable to encomiendas (Stannard, 1993, p.78). The master was free to command “his people”- so that they would incessantly work “without limit or benefit of tenure” (Stannard, 1993, p.78). Hence, colonization and slavery built the backbone of the American and European societies. Human societies collapsed because of environmental constraints and human-made problems. In particular, colonization and slavery exterminated millions of natives. The disease and weapons of the white man were enough to eradicate, even the cultures of some people. Diamond offered a compelling argument on the role of environment in shaping the recovery and death of civilizations. More than that, human ingenuity that maximized available resources is also important. Societies recovered and advanced, as people created sophisticated ways of controlling their environmental resources, and sadly, used steel and germs to impose their will on other human beings. References “Colonization of the Atlantic Islands.” Diamond, J. (2005). Guns, germs, and steel. PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/show/episode1.html “Recovery in China: The Ming Dynasty.” “Recovery in Western Europe: State building.” “Slave Trade.” Stannard, D.E. (1993). American Holocaust: The conquest of the new world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read More