In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Dr. Diamond sets out to try and answer perhaps one of the most important questions a historian can ask. How did the world end up the way it is now? How is it that some nations are strong and have become civilizations, while others are still functioning the same way they have for thousands of years? I'm going to spoil the theory right now so I will say now that the book was very insightful, although a bit dry at times. I would definitely recommend it. If it is easier, there is a three part documentary (each part an hour) on youtube, part one here, part two here, and three here. The third part is largely repetitive from the other two, so one could easily stop after two hours.
Diamond essentially tries to answer the question based on geography. The way civilization grows is that things are produced more easily and with less people. This allows some people to work on things beyond what has been done before. This happened most in Western Europe, specifically because of the types of grains and cattle that inhabited the land. Wheat and barley, the grains that predominated Western Europe are crops that are easily made into edible food, and therefore need less people. This was furthered by having the correct types of cattle that could plow the land, making the bread making process even more efficient. Because of this, many people were able to go on, and do other work, like creating metal tools, which furthered the efficiency of the farming, and of course weapons. This had two important factors. As more and more steel was being produced, more and more people were able to work on other things, making everything more and more effective. Without this initial step of having some people free to find ways of making food and shelter more efficiently made, society as we know it would not exist. Also, weapons enabled (and ennobled) Europeans to conquer much of the world. They could easily go into more undeveloped countries that did not have the resources they had and conquer them easily. Another thing that helped them conquer other nations was germs. Because of the close proximity to livestock, Europeans had lived through many plagues due to germs. Naturally, the people that survived the plagues were those that were more resistent to the germs. Eventually, Europeans became immune to many of the diseases. When the came to Africa and the New World, the natives were not so immune. Diamond argues that because of their ability to produce steel and guns, combined with the germs they carried, Europeans were able to create civilization well past what others were able to accomplish.
While this theory can certainly not withstand all criticism, which can be found here, it does give an insightful approach that explains much of human History. I found these ideas illuminating for a couple reasons. Firstly, it puts all people on an equal playing field. Some people happened to be luckier, but none are more creative or better than others. Had different resources been in different parts of the world, civilizations would have existed there instead. Secondly, the thesis seems to have a lot of backing based on the way women have been able to rise in the world in the last 50 or so years. Because of appliances like the washing machine and refrigerator, household duties have become much less laborious as they used to be (although they are still very demanding, and necessitate much work). Therefore, women have been able to do more in the world because making food is easier than before. This is in many ways analogous to our case of being able to more efficiently produce bread. Lastly, in some ways this lends credence to the Jewish people (although, certainly does not prove anything). We have almost always happen to have existed where the most can be done with the land, first in Mesopotamia, then in Europe. While I can't say that it is G-d provoked that that should have been so, it almost seems that way. Jews have been put in the situation where they can be part of civilization and illuminate the Bible's message to the world, not by converting it, but by being in the situation to show it how we can all live.
Again, Guns, Germs, and Steel was a fantastic read, and really gave me new insight into the history of the entire world.
