Guns, Germs, and Steel

Points clés

• Geography and biology, not race or talent, explain why some societies conquered others
• Farming came first where wild plants and animals were easiest to domesticate
• Food surpluses freed people to become soldiers, priests, inventors and rulers
• Living close to livestock gave Eurasians deadly germs and the immunity to survive them
• Continents that stretch east to west spread crops, tools and ideas much faster

À l'intérieur de ce bit

1. Why did Europe conquer, not Africa

   In 1532, a few hundred Spanish soldiers captured the Inca emperor Atahualpa in front of an army of tens of thousands. Why was it never the other way round?

2. Farming was a lucky lottery

   Farming is not a clever idea that smart people thought of first. It is an accident of what grew nearby.

3. Surplus food builds everything else

   Once a community can grow more food than it eats, something powerful happens. Not everyone has to hunt or farm any more.

4. Germs did the killing

   The deadliest weapon Europeans carried to the Americas was not the musket. It was smallpox, measles and influenza.

5. The shape of continents matters

   Look at a map. Eurasia stretches east to west, so places along it share similar day lengths, seasons and climates.

6. Passez à l'action

   This is a history book, but its habit of mind is useful anywhere. This week, when you see a person, company or country that is winning, ask what starting conditions they inherited before you credit their genius.