Can 80,000 People Be Defeated by 168? The fundamental reason for Europeans colonizing the Americas. скачать в хорошем качестве

Can 80,000 People Be Defeated by 168? The fundamental reason for Europeans colonizing the Americas.

I wrote a simple introduction about the book "Guns, Germs, and Steel." If interested, you can check the text draft: In 1972, the author Jared Diamond was studying bird evolution in New Guinea when he met a local named Yali, who asked, "Why is it that white people developed so much cargo and brought it here while we black people didn't invent much?" In simple terms, why did Europe colonize New Guinea instead of the other way around? To answer this, 25 years later, in 1997, the author wrote "Guns, Germs, and Steel." New Guinea, located near the equator, is one of the last places to change from traditional lifestyles; 200 years ago, it was still in the Stone Age and even had cannibal tribes. It was colonized by European countries in the early 19th century. So, the essence of the question should be why different regions developed differently? Today, the people of the Eurasian continent, including those who later migrated to North America, hold most of the power and wealth in the modern world, while indigenous people in Australia, the Americas, or southern Africa lost their lands; some even faced extinction. What caused this disparity? The author doesn't claim various proofs of European superiority over black people, nor does he glorify European achievements. On the contrary, no credible evidence suggests intellectual differences among different ethnic groups. So, what are the ultimate reasons for Europe's success? // Additionally, I included some information about the Age of Exploration and Spanish colonization here: In 1453, the Ottoman Empire conquered the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire), monopolizing trade routes from Asia to Europe. Spices and silk, luxurious goods, became costly and took long to trade overland. Spices aided food preservation and flavor, while silk was a symbol of status and wealth. Particularly, for Portugal and Spain, distant from Asia, obtaining these products was even more expensive. At the same time, the development of improved nautical charts, the compass, astrolabe, and durable ship designs made long sea voyages possible. Thus, these ocean-adjacent nations sought new routes to Asia, initiating the Age of Exploration, with Portugal and Spain agreeing to explore east and west, respectively. In 1492, representing Spain, Columbus “discovered” the New World, arriving in the Bahamas, San Salvador Island. Days later, he landed in Cuba. Until his death, he believed it was Asia he had discovered, thus naming the natives Indians. In 1498, representing Portugal, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut (Kozhikode), India, opening the sea route from Europe to Asia, paving the way for Portuguese colonial activity in India. In 1510, the Portuguese captured Goa, India. In 1511, they occupied Malacca in the southern Malay Peninsula. Magellan, involved in this, discovered the Spice Islands (part of the Malay Archipelago), and believed that to the east of this sea lay the Americas, affirming his conviction that the Earth was round. Upon returning to Portugal, he requested a global voyage from the king but was denied. He then sought support from Spanish King Charles I and, with royal backing, organized a fleet to set sail. In 1510, Spain established its first permanent colony in Panama. In 1519, Spaniards founded Havana and controlled Cuba, the largest Caribbean island. That year, they landed in Mexico and established Veracruz. From 1519 to 1522, Magellan's fleet for Spain completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, proving Earth’s roundness. In 1520, a slave infected with smallpox came from Cuba to Mexico, killing half the Aztec Empire’s population, including the emperor. Mexico’s population dropped from 20 million to 1.6 million by 1618. In 1521, Spanish Hernán Cortés led an army to conquer the Aztec Empire, one of the most powerful civilizations in Central America, making Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) the core of Spanish governance in Mexico. 1532 is the year of the Battle of Cajamarca, featured in the video introduction.