Rui's note brings up a very interesting subject -- the desire to explain the world in a one-dimensionsal way, while avoiding the question of class & the like.
I first ran into the weather explanation in a book by Ellsworth Huntington, which I read more than 40 years ago. I think that he connects the difficult climate of Northern Europe with Protestantism -- though you should not trust my memory on this. A recent fashion among economists is to explain African development problems by its soils and poor river system, which does not easily foster internal trade. Nothing is mentioned about the structure of railroads, which were built for external, not internal trade. I enjoyed Guns, Germs, & Steel, especially the emphsis on germs, but it hardly qualifies as a complete theory of history. In any case, the three threads that Rui mentioned all make terms like imperialism, class, & power irrelevant. Thanks for an interesting contribution. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
