Biology—Germs
were the most efficient conqueror. Of
course, ocean-going ships, steel swords, gunpowder, horses (technology when
cavalry was used as early tank divisions), cannons, and still armor-plate were
superior as fighting implements to stone, bronze, or wooden clubs, maces, hand
axes, slingshots, and padded armor. But
the real battles were won in the Europeans’ absence. Between Cortes’ first and second appearance to the Aztec
(certainly as warlike, acquisitive, and ruthless an empire as Spain ever was),
smallpox decimated the population by nearly 50% and killed the Emperor
Cuitlahuac. Pizarro was able to
exploit the Inca’s wonder that smallpox killed them in such numbers while
leaving the Spaniards seemingly invincible.
When de Soto encountered the dense societies of the Mississippi
mound-builders, the towns and cities were already abandoned, the 5% of the
population which had survived had fled the places of horror.
So biology is another approach for explaining “Why Europe.”
By analogy, how likely would it be that the United States could mount an
effective resistance to a determined and invading army which had either immunity
or protection from biological agents which had swept through the country killing
40% or 60% or 80% or even sometimes 95% of the population.
To see the picture as the Spanish swept across the Americas, we would
have to posit that at least half the government—at all levels—was also gone.
So local communities might have a mayor but no council; state government
might retain half the representatives but no governor; and the national
government may retain perhaps the speaker of the House, half the senators,
leaving numerous states with no Senate representation, and half of the House of
Representatives. Half the military
would be gone, too, including the Pentagon, and half the servicemen—so half
the planes wouldn’t fly, half the ships couldn’t sail . . . and so on.
The Six Characteristics
Politics
Economics
Technology
Biology
Philosophy
Dominance