World History I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

World History I - Essay Example However as we very well know, that situation is not true and Diamond (1997) presents some very interesting insights into how and why the development of societies took place as it did. The explanations given by him are quite interesting since they are logical and appear to make perfect sense. For instance, the argument about technology appeals considerably because today we live in a world which is very technology oriented and it is clear that countries which have taken modern technology to be an integral part of their economies have gained a lot from it. For example, in recent years both India and China have become economic giants mainly due to the investment in technology made by their respective governments and due to the technological contacts they have had with western powers like America and Europe. Of course the development of America is simply a result of the development of the European powers and their ability to create a food surplus from agriculture and domestication of animals. Diamond (1997) is correct when he says that African armies on rhinos and hippos could have decimated European cavalry charges but horses were domesticated while rhinos and hippos still remain wild and dangerous animals. The food surplus created by effective management and agriculture caused populations to expand which often meant that the chances of a region producing a thinker, inventor or discoverer were also increased. Additionally, the argument about human contact improving societies is very true since the contact between the Europeans, the Arabs, the Indians and the Chinese eventually took technologies like cartography, paper, numbers, and many other developments from one end of the globe to the other. The example of Australia in its relative isolation is quite correct since Australia did not know about these developments there was little chance of them developing these technologies on the same lines as the Eurasians. So the two fundamental