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