A Brief History of the World
10,000 years in 4 days!
The World in 2010

Spaceship Earth


How unique is America? How “lucky”
are we?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmMU
uR--Qvo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oumVHS
j6AE8
How did we arrive here?
Survival
3 Factors
1.Subsistence practices
2.Exchange systems
3.Material equipment used to
make a living (technology)
Survival
5 Main Subsistence Patterns
1. Foraging (Hunter-gathers)
2. Pastoralism (raising
domesticated animals)
3. Horticulture
4. Agriculture (more
intensive than horticulture)
5. Industrialism
The First 6 Million Years…

All humans were foragers until 10,000
years ago



90% of all people who ever lived
99% of human history
Small groups (<100 people)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pro6X
_Kc5wA&feature=fvw

Egalitarian

“The Original Affluent Society” –
Marshall Sahlins

What is affluence?
The Origins of Inequality

Jared Diamond

Thesis (NOT fact): The roots of
inequality in today’s world boil down
to geographic luck.
8,000 years ago – Agriculture emerges almost simultaneously in 5 places
Key to Diamond’s Thesis: Spread easily east to west,
not north to south b/c of different climates
Profound cultural changes came with the domestication
of plants and animals 10,000 years ago
More permanent and larger settlements (close to water)
Increased Population
Division of Labor
More elaborate governments (chiefdoms, states)
By 1450, patterns of subsistence were distributed like this…
Most agriculture develops along the Tropic of Cancer (yellow)
By 1450, patterns of subsistence were distributed like this…
Draft animals and other technologies spread east-west through
the wide continent (yellow box)
By 1450, patterns of subsistence were distributed like this…
Horticulture thrives in fertile tropical areas (green)
By 1450, patterns of subsistence were distributed like this…
Pastoralism develops on the edge of food cultivation areas…or
where food cultivation thrived but now fails (orange)
By 1450, patterns of subsistence were distributed like this…
Foraging has been pushed into sparse environments (red)
Industrial Revolution

About 240 years ago

“Picks up steam” (pun intended) about 150 years ago
Trends from Foraging to Industrialism
Increasing population
Less efficiency
Greater production, surplus,
and wealth
Increased social and
economic inequality
But…
Greater diversity of products
Increased social conflict
Greater diversity of jobs
Increased labor demand