Sorry for a what-if? question that so many people seem to detest here, but this one always keeps me wondering. Without the many diseases that killed off much of the Native Americans, making it much easier for Europeans to take over the Americas, do you think that the Native Americans could have resisted? Perhaps the Native Americans even had fully developed empires and complex societies, only to collapse because of the plague. There's evidence of farming in the Great Plains, where the Europeans discovered Native American Nomads. Who knows what kind of society the Europeans missed? The US might have never formed!
What if small pox/other such diseases hadn't developed in Eurasia?
- Thread starter jungmo
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holy king
Deity
so basically what if there were no animals to domesticate in that area?
Taras Bulba
gone
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continuing what holy king said....
we'd be in like the middle ages right now (if even)
we'd be in like the middle ages right now (if even)
thomas.berubeg
Wandering the World
Read Guns, Germs, and steel, by Jared Diamond.
Taras, I have to disagree. The New Worlders didn't have many domesticated animals, and made it quite far technologicaly, and would probably ave gone on farther... (I can't say we'de be advanced as today, but still... I'de guess not too far behind...)
Taras, I have to disagree. The New Worlders didn't have many domesticated animals, and made it quite far technologicaly, and would probably ave gone on farther... (I can't say we'de be advanced as today, but still... I'de guess not too far behind...)
holy king
Deity
psst: regarding your sig: it's "carthaginem esse delendam" if you're trying to quote cato the elder.
cubsfan6506
Got u
It was impossible for smallpox to develop in anywhere other then eurasia. It can only work if I believe it is 2 million people within 14 days travel. (I'm not sure about the 2 million but I'm positive about the 14 days.
thomas.berubeg
Wandering the World
The main reason why it was impoosible for many deseases we know from europe to develope in America was the lack of domestic animals. That is also the reason why nothing happened to eurasia after 1492, just imagine if history would have been "fair" and europe would have got some plague made in America. Anyway, many viruses develope in domestic animals as well as in humans before becoming a threatening plaque. This was the reason why the native americans not only didn't have any disease to "fight back", but also had immune systems that simply were not able to handle the many diseases the europeans brought after 1492.
So the real question should be "what would have happened if the native americans had more domestic animals".
At least in todays Peru there was a street system (with running men instead of horses) which i am pretty sure covered even more people in that time. Actually, before the first Europeans travelled this streats many residents there already got european deseases. I think that is the best hint that just putting many people together isn't the only factor in the developement of diseases.
So the real question should be "what would have happened if the native americans had more domestic animals".
At least in todays Peru there was a street system (with running men instead of horses) which i am pretty sure covered even more people in that time. Actually, before the first Europeans travelled this streats many residents there already got european deseases. I think that is the best hint that just putting many people together isn't the only factor in the developement of diseases.
cubsfan6506
Got u
It's not the only one, but smallpox can only naturally effect humans.
The pox virus is a specias jumper. It must of jumped to our species in the bc area. So a similar diseas jumping in the america would be unlikely.
The pox virus is a specias jumper. It must of jumped to our species in the bc area. So a similar diseas jumping in the america would be unlikely.
silver 2039
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Ideally if there had been a first contact perhaps a transmission by the Norse or hell the Chinese since some people seem to think they went there, allowed the spread of the disease initially and wiped out large amounts of people did all its upheaval stuff and all that.
And then no subsequent contact until several hundred years later when the population had built up immunity then the natives may have had a fighting chance.
And then no subsequent contact until several hundred years later when the population had built up immunity then the natives may have had a fighting chance.
