Matthew Bishop

12/4/19

Guns, Germs, and Steel –Episode 3 

Directions: Before viewing the film, read each question below so you know what information and ideas you should be looking for as you watch Episode 3. Record your answers to each question by providing as many facts, details, and examples as possible to answer each question. Be prepared to discuss your answers with the class. 

1)According to Jared Diamond, what allowed Europeans to develop the power necessary to conquer (take over) large portions of the world? 

Geography gave them an advantage with the crops and materials that they had had at their disposal to have guns, germs and steel.

2)Why were the Europeans who settled the South African cape(tip) so successful? Describe two reasons. 

1. The geography in the area allowed a lot of land to farm crops and have animals.
2. The climates were the same in Europe and South Africa.

3)How did disease allow the Europeans to conquer the native populations in the Americas and in the African cape? 

It made the native people much more weak so it was much easier to drive them out.

4)The Europeans who settled the tropical areas of the African continent introduced killer germs to the native populations. However, Europeans also suffered from the effects of germs native to Africa. Describe how native African germs worked against the European settlers. 

The germs were spread from misquitoes, which provided a new sickness that Europeans had never seen before.

5)How did the native Africans protect themselves from the germs that caused diseases such as Smallpox and Malaria? Give specific examples cited in the film. 

The natives had all grown up next to cattle. Smallpox came from cattle but the natives became immune to it. Natives lived in dry areas where mosquitoes never went. The area was also very spread out and since there were few people, disease could never spread.

6)How has the colonization (European take over) of Africa created countries filled with disease? Give specific examples from the film.

A larger population makes everyone be closer together which means diseases can spread much quicker.

7)A)What is the number one public health problem in Zambia? B) Who are the people mainly affected by this? 

A. Malaria. B. Usually newborn kids to 5 year olds.

8)How has disease made poverty (poorness) worse in many African countries such as Zambia? 

Since children are sick, moms have to take care of them, this means moms cannot work, which causes productivity of those countries to decrease.

9)According to data from the film, how has Malaria effected the overall growth in Africa over the last 50 years? 

-1%

10)Describe how other tropical countries such as Malaysia and Singapore have developed rich economies despite having many of the same geographical and health problems faced by African nations.

Many people survived smallpox and other diseases. This is because of geography. Places that have never experienced those diseases were destroyed because the people weren't used to those diseases. In tropical places, those places had already experienced those types of sicknesses and could help cure or treat the symptoms, causing people to survive.