1. Big History
David Robarge
HIST 140

2. Theme: Humans are curious
Journey of Man
The Way We Are
The World and Trade
In The Way We Are, Burke points out that humans are what they
know. Their desire for knowledge is human’s distinguishing
characteristic. Knowledge has become a valuable resource
because it defines who we are. Lose this information and we are
someone else.
In The Journey of Man, Wells shows that human life started in
Africa, and because of their curiosity, some groups ventured out
of Africa to better land.
In The Way We Are, Burke points out that the ancient Greeks
are a good example of early desire to find explanations behind
the world’s mysteries.
In The World of Trade, it was the question of whether there was
another route to trade with China was what brought Columbus
to discover America.

3. Geography is Important
The World and Trade
Guns, Germs, and Steel
In Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond explains how the location
of the fertile crescent in the Middle East allowed European and
Asian powers to become so advanced. The fertility of the
crescent gave birth to crops and farm animals which allowed for
large amounts of food production and prosperity.
In The World and Trade, the geographical nature of the Middle
Eastern and Chinese trade route made it difficult for Europeans
to achieve the profits of the Muslims. The Muslims had a
dominant control over trade with China. The Europeans had no
way around the Muslim dominated route to China.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, it is shown that the similar day
lengths and climate from West and East of the fertile crescent
allowed a spread of knowledge, whereas the different climates
from North to South in the Americas made information spread
cumbersome.

4. Climate Affects History
Catastrophe!
Journey of Man
In Catastrophe, Keys finds that a volcanic eruption
blocked out the sun and caused colder conditions across
the globe. Such an event is detailed by many civilization,
indicating it the resulting cold weather damaged crops and
created harsh conditions.
In The Journey of Man, about 50,000 to 70,000 years ago
the world was under an ice age. Fertile land became
desert and food for humans was hard to find. Because of
this climactic event, some humans in Africa made a
quantum leap of thinking and decided to leave Africa and
colonize the rest of the world.

5. When Two Worlds Meet, Both Are Changed
The World and Trade
Guns, Germs and Steel
In The World and Trade, Columbus’ discovery changed the New
World and the Old World. The discovery of the potato gave
Europe a crop that could resist cold weather. Europeans also
discovered vast amount of wealth in South American gold, and
new commodities like cacao beans. The New World changed in
ethnic background, work animals were introduced from Europe,
the land was industrialized, and a new society of Spanish and
Italian settlers made the country a new trading post.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, it is shown that the diseases
Spaniards brought to the new world were devastating, and as
many as 95% of the population of South America was wiped out.
In this case, though, Natives had no deadly diseases to pass
back to Europeans.

6. Disease Can Change History
Catastrophe!
Guns, Germs and Steel
In Catastrophe, the presence of the cold brought about in 6th
century allowed for the Bubonic Plague to spread rapidly, killing
millions in the Roman Empire. The result was economically and
militarily devastating, and crippled the Roman Empire.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, the presence of smallpox carried
over by Spaniards to South America made the conquest of the
continent much easier than before.
The Bubonic Plague changed the political shape of Britain. The
Celtic Britains in the West had their population drop dramatically
because they traded with Romans and caught the plague. This
allowed for the Angles and the Saxons in the East to conquer
the Celts and create a unified British country.

7. Civilizations Differ in Speeds of
Advancement
The World and Trade
Guns, Germs and Steel
In Germs, Guns, and Steel, certain civilizations developed more
slowly for varieties of reasons. Some spent much of their time
acquiring food, such as New Guineans, and so did not have the
food surplus to feed people specializing in metalworking and other
advanced fields. People of Eurasia, for example, developed quickly
to due large surpluses in food and could concentrate on advancing
the way of life.
In The World and Trade, China in the Middle Ages was the richest
and most powerful empire in the world. The climate, as well as the
work animals which spread from the Fertile Crescent, allowed the
Chinese to become agriculturally productive and invest energy in
research. The inventions of China helped it advance beyond other
nations.
In the World and Trade, it is noted that some civilizations advance
farther in certain areas due to their needs. The Incans had
sophisticated farming techniques to cultivate their potato crops, and
the Sumerians had the first system of writing with which to record

8. Institutions of Change
The Way We Are
Guns, Germs, and Steel
The World And Trade
In The Way We Are, Burke explains that change comes from
humans desire to lean everything there is to know about nature.
Some civilizations believed in gods and myths and already have
explanations for the world around them. People like the Greeks
had practical questions about how things worked. For these
people, change was a a way to more productive life.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, radical change came at a price of
life. The Spaniards conquered the Incas because the Spanish
has an institution for change. They invested resources in men
and leadership to discover the new world.
In The World and Trade, Columbus discovered the New World
because Europeans had a desire to change the trade situation
with China. Muslim traders had no need for such change
because they had a virtual monopoly over the China trade route.

9. People Are Always Looking For A
Better Deal
The Way We Are, Guns, Germs and Steel, The World And Trade
In The Way We Are, the Ionians left Greece to settle
elsewhere in search for a better way of life.
In The World and Trade, European merchants were
anxious to find a way around the relatively high costs of
trading with Muslims. They wanted to find a way to
increase their profits.
In Guns, Germs, and Steel, Conquistadors left Spain for a
chance at riches.
In The World and Trade, the Spanish discovery of the
potato was eventually capitalized upon by Europeans for
its nutritious properties and strength against harsh
conditions.

10. The World Is Always Changing
The Journey of Man
The Way We Are
Catastrophe
In The Journey of Man, Wells finds evidence that humans have
gone through a constant process of change, in terms of how
they look, where they live, and what they do. Humans started as
one group in Africa, and have stemmed into many unique
cultures.
In The Way We Are, Burke points out that to Western
culture, the only constant is change. We emphasize the pursuit
of change, and grab onto whatever effects we desire.
Sometimes we cannot see the effects of an innovation, and the
final effects are felt far in the future.
In Catastrophe, it is to be noted that the climate is ever
changing, and the result of this is adaptations by humans to deal
with the results of harsh conditions, like those following the
Krakatoa explosion in the sixth century.

11. The Unity Factor
Guns, Germs and Steel
The World and Trade
In Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond points out that
China’s early unification led to its early advances because
innovations could easily spread through the empire. Non-
unification in other early cultures such as those in Europe
and the America’s led to less spread of knowledge.
Later, the non-unification of Europe would allow it to
continue innovation .
In The World and Trade, the splitting of several large
empires in South America with the Aztecs, Incas and
Mayans gave the Spanish an easier time in conquering
the continent.