Guns, Germs and Steel Part 8 of 18

Episode Two : Conquest (Part 2 of 6)

On November 15th 1532, 168 Spanish conquistadors arrive in the holy city of Cajamarca, at the heart of the Inca Empire, in Peru.

They are exhausted, outnumbered and terrified -- ahead of them are camped 80,000 Inca troops and the entourage of the Emperor himself.

Yet, within just 24 hours, more than 7,000 Inca warriors lie slaughtered; the Emperor languishes in chains; and the victorious Europeans begin a reign of colonial terror which will sweep through the entire American continent.

Why was the balance of power so unequal between the Old World, and the New?

Can Jared Diamond explain how America fell to guns, germs and steel?

Category:

Education

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• germs
• steel
• jared
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• pulitzer
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• conquest

[discipleoftheteapot]

This isn't 'racist' or 'anti-European" - he dosen't say that only europeans conquered or committed atrocities - simply that they were better at it.

his question wasn't 'why did europeans do this?' but "why couldn't it be the other way around?" (i.e. why didn't the incas colonise europe)

He repeatedly states his belief that - people are basically the same everywhere

[discipleoftheteapot]

like this if TheAmazingAtheist sent you here!

[EXTRON180]

That was the most beautiful moo I've ever heard :').....

[discipleoftheteapot]

@supersmash43 a video called 'PWNED: Rascist Kid' (2nd Septemer 2011)

[supersmash43]

@discipleoftheteapot what did he send you over here for? And from what video did he send you here from?

[wisestfoolalive]

@xxTeutonicKnightxx When I think of your example with Bill Gates, I think of a company called Smith Corona Typewrite Co. It was once a large very profitable and quite dominant manufacturer of typewriters and related supplies. They went bankrupt because they couldn't think outside of the typewriter paradigm, and they deeply underestimated the potential of the upcoming PC. It was their lack of embracing risk and designing the future that did them in. Anyway, I like to think about these things.

[wisestfoolalive]

@xxTeutonicKnightxx I would say culture has a lot to do with it. China was the most advance civilization for quite a while when Europe was still the age of feudalism. What brought Europe much wealth and triggered the age of enlightenment was industrialization but more importantly, their embracing attitude towards industrialization. Had China industrialized before Europe, they would be much further ahead today. But Chinese society was rigid, traditional, Confucius-based. Max Weber wrote about it.

[xxTeutonicKnightxx]

@98bigbutt Also wile it is true China has a LOT of Land, most of it is not that habitable. Guns, Germs and Steel gives a lack of credit to the Europeans for there development & accomplishments like if it was all an accident. Also the lack of credit to China or Persia. How do you explain other places that have similar advantages of that of Europe or Asia but yet did not developed as well or not at all? Example: How did Bill Gates get on top when IBM has all the money & resource?

[xxTeutonicKnightxx]

@98bigbutt No, read a bit closer my friend, you are looking at more resent history, and the Chinese were well known to oppress those nearby people… China had Empires too...

It was the Mongols that was oppress long before they conquered China…

[98bigbutt]

@xxTeutonicKnightxx,Actually the Mongols and the Japanese were the ones who went in to China and for Vietnam,it was the French and later the Japanese Empire in WWII who went into Vietnam and the Japanese Empire went into Korea. So it is you who needs to read more history.

[xxTeutonicKnightxx]

@iamme83 Cannot say it any better: "You do realize that the treasure fleet was worth a fortune right? Maintaining something like that requires massive amounts of funds. This was before the influx of British silver spurred on economic growth and trade. And China WAS an empire to begin with, the country you know today was formed through massive wars between states accumulating into what was Imperial China (221 BC - 1912 AD), it was considered a "empire" as it had many tributary states."

[xxTeutonicKnightxx]

@infinity999ful NOT ONE RACIAL SOCIETY WENT INTO EUROPE AND CONQUERED THEM? Ummm

Tell that to the German tribes. So the Moors do not count? Or the Ottoman Empire, Huns, Mongols, Tartars, Persia, and many others do not count? Anyways historically outsiders tried but got there butts kicked every time for the most part. Read more history bud.