The author chooses to write this book in this style, because it helps the reader understand the differences among other societies the author states, “It is impossible to understand even just western Eurasian societies themselves, if one focuses on them the interesting questions concern the distinctions between them and other societies. Answering all those other societies as well, so that those other societies can be fitted into broader context.” (Page 11)…
The world works in mysterious ways. This class has determines that people must be able to adapt to environmental changes if they are to survive. The inability to adapt has proven to be the collapse of a particular society time and time again. This essay traces the rise of Cahokia and Chaco Canyon and the developments of each culture to each cultures end.…
Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies written by Jared Diamond travels through the different aspects of human societies starting from modern human’s pre-Homo ancestors comparing the different variations that have occurred throughout time, ending at the modern Homo sapiens in the world today. The focus of this book is why some societies strive while other fail. Diamond looked at the different advantages and disadvantages of the areas these societies lived in and in his own words deriving the thesis “History followed different courses for different peoples because of differences among people’s environments, not because of biological differences between peoples themselves” (25). Diamond’s thesis follows the lines of the overarching question; have geography and the distribution of natural resources…
Jared Diamond’s book Guns, Germs, and Steel discusses the topic of the ancient and current civilizations with an eye-opening argument. Diamond’s main argument is that civilizations developed based on the environment and not because of individual humans. In this book he summarized a history of the last 13,000 years in civilization. Although his points were scattered he makes it clear that he believes strongly in environmental determinism, which is the belief that physical environment predisposes human social development and surrounding civilizations.…
The “Downfall” of America For hundreds of years, America and other Western powers were considered the kings of the world. America has been known as the land where the poor and sick can start anew, working hard and getting rich. That is the American Dream isn’t it? However, over the past few decades, the idea that America is reaching its collapse has become much more popular and probable.…
The next step in my research took me back to the internet where I looked for a few different essays on the collapse hoping to find some more historians theories I could use. I discovered collective theories from scholars, William Saturno, Tom Server and Dick Gill from websites such as the BBC, Crystalinks and…
Diamond’s model is an explanation by Jared Diamond of how our society have collapsed in the past and how it will collapse in the future. It discussed five set of factors that indicate the causes of society breakdown. Diamond explained this model clearly with examples from Greenland Norse in the past and Montana environment in the time when the book was made. The first factor is environmental damage that caused by people, such as deforestation and mining that usually connected to the second factor which is climate change. In fact, climate change is natural forces without any relation with humans. The next factor is hostile neighbors that illustrate the bad relationship with the neighbor which affect the existence of society. Conversely, support…
References: • Civilization in the West 6th Edition ; by Mark Kishlansky, Patrick Geary, Patricia O’Brien; Published by Pearson Longman.…
There were radical changes in all areas of known societies that encompassed demographic collapse, political instabilities, and religious turmoil. The countries were literally sick, living in poverty, broken and broke by wars, and tired of being lead around their noblemen and/or religious leaders. Sick, broke and tired – three components for change!…
In his 2004 book, A Short History of Progress, award-winning novelist, historian, and essayist, Ronald Wright explores the seemingly inevitable pattern of progress and imminent disaster that so defines the history of civilization. Wright laments upon the “progress trap” (Wright 31) as that of an absolute agent of downfall; one that we, as humans, bring upon ourselves. What began as simple moral improvements made in small civilizations has, with the introduction of science and technology, quickly advanced to more intricate material progressions, causing a “seductive trail of successes that [will] end up in a trap.” (Wright 5) Wright defines these newfound progress traps as created by three main factors: specialization,…
The Aztec culture dates all the way back to the 13th century. Some say that a few Aztec people still survive, although they are not exactly “pure.” Their culture was derived from South America. In this research paper the plan is to inform and explain to the teacher that the Aztec were an impressive group of people for their time period because they were so advanced in science, agriculture and were far more civilized than people from other regions had assumed during that time period. What caused the collapse of such a refined empire?…
eventually led to warfare as a way of coming up with solutions to avoid the inevitable…
During a thriving time of expanding civilizations, the Inca Empire was new and developing with a unique way to carry a kingdom. The Incans were forced to face diversity in order to be a successful community. Despite a simple way of living their lives, the Incans faced a fall in the Empire. With a combination of; a lack of advanced technology, a poor military with an unexpected ransom, and awful health systems; leading to the downfall of the civilization.…
The common topic of debate that is if all civilizations are doomed to collapse because it hold the ability to prevent or slow down the collapse of any civilization. Historians such as Tainter (In Collapse and Sustainability: Rome, the Maya, and the Modern World)and Greer (In How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse) have created analyzing both fallen and modern civilizations, both of these authors believe to some extent that a lack of resources is the beginning cause of a collapse of a civilization. There are some historians that believe that not all civilizations are doomed to collapse due to that previous civilizations were not able to properly and accurately handle their problems and as long as you sustain stability than…
2. Questions related to why and how the Muslim civilization collapsed. Theories given from a western world point of view and an outlook for a future for Muslim civilization.…