Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL examines the rise of civilization and the issues its development has raised throughout history.
Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology. Diamond also dissects racial theories of global history, and the resulting work-GUNS, GERMS, AND STEEL-is a major contribution to our understanding the evolution of human societies.
Among the many topics explored:
- What happened on all the continents before 11,000 B.C.
- How geography molded societies on Polynesian islands
- Why the Inca emperor Atahuallpa did not capture King Charles I of Spain
- Geographic differences in the onset of food production
- The spread and development of food through the study of certain crops and animals
- The evolution of germs, writing, technology, government, and religion
- The histories of Australia, New Guinea, East Asia, and Africa