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Based on the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Book. It is perhaps the most fundamental question of world history: why are some civilisations conquered and others conquerors? Author and scholar Jared Diamond's surprising answer, found in his acclaimed bestseller, Guns, Germs and Steel, is the basis of this thought-provoking three-part series. Out of Eden - Evidence from Papua New Guinea to the Middle East supports Diamond's theory that a society's development may have had less to do with skill or ingenuity, than with an ability to raise high-protein grains and domesticated livestock. He suggests that successful farming gave rise to an explosion of sophisticated civilisations, from the Fertile Crescent to the New World. Conquest - Diamond focuses on Spanish conquistador Pizarro's 16th-century assault on the Inca. Was it the Spaniards' advanced weaponry that defeated the empire? Was it also the Europeans' innate resilience to some infectious diseases a resistance born of centuries of contact with domesticated animals? The European triumph of the New World may have rested on an agent of conquest unknown to even the conquerors and that proved deadlier than any human foe. Into the Tropics - Diamond extends his quest to Africa, probing early European attempts to colonise the continent. The conquerors were initially successful, repelling native attackers with rifles and Maxim guns but they met unexpected obstacles when they moved from temperate zones to the tropics. The debilitating scourge of malaria, like the AIDS epidemic of today, overwhelmed their mightiest resources.
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Subtitles: English
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Highly recommended.Obviously, one over-arching theory that seeks to explain Western expansion and dominance over the last 500 years will tend to have omissions.It does tend to downplay the role of culture and the genius of individuals in Western society but its arguments are cogent and convincing. Not as good as the book, but it really makes you think and challenges assumptions based on culture and race. An important book!
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
The DVD is long and extremely interesting, especially not because it goes into deep detail, but because it wants to answer the mega question of humankind - why some peoples are rich and others poor. There are surprising discoveries, such as that there were civilizations only where people had wheat and plough and certain domesticated animals. We still meet gatherer cultures because they never had them. It speaks about Eurasia, Africa, the Americas. Puts the dots on the "i"s. Higly recommended.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The production has only recently become available as "region 2" in Europe, but it was worth the wait. The ideas of the book are presented compactly, making this a good alternative for those that cannot make time for the book itself. Points on domestication of plants and animals, the geographic destiny of continental shapes, germ co-evolution, and a brief foray into African farming history - all probably offer new insights to most audiences.
Although the production had a bit more of the american-style "superhero scientist" in it than I would have liked, I nevertheless rate this DVD as offering among the highest value for 3 hours of your time compared to almost any other available from Amazon.
Highly recommended.
Although the production had a bit more of the american-style "superhero scientist" in it than I would have liked, I nevertheless rate this DVD as offering among the highest value for 3 hours of your time compared to almost any other available from Amazon.
Highly recommended.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
I really liked it.
This is a relatively long documentary, compared to the 52 min short ones that National Geographic has. However, it is not boring at all as it is divided into three parts. Read more
Published 28 days ago by fd
Guns, Germs and Steel.
This two DVD documentary is very obviously designed for the liberal audiences of Professor Diamond's politically correct Californian homeland. Read more
Published 23 months ago by C. W. Bradbury
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