The Fates of Human Societies

Guns, Germs, and Steel. [DVD-1077]. 2 discs, 165 min. 2005.

"A passionate, whirlwind tour through 13,000 years of history on all continents--a short history of everything about everybody. ...A convincing explanation for the differing developments of human societies on different continents." (Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford University.) An epic detective story that offers a gripping expose on why the world is so unequal. Professor Jared Diamond traveled the globe for over 30 years trying to answer this question. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Why did Eurasians conquer, displace, or decimate Native Americans, Australians, and Africans, instead of the reverse? Diamond dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns.