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Spanish Conquest and Global Power
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Spanish Conquest and Global Power
Spanish Conquest and Global Power
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1
Question
Why was the Spanish victory over the Inca Empire so militarily uneven?
1:31
Answer
The Spaniards combined geographic advantages with horses, steel weapons, military experience, strategic surprise, and infectious diseases to defeat a much larger Inca force.
2
Question
How did the shape of Eurasia facilitate the spread of crops and animals?
31:25
Answer
Eurasia stretches mainly from east to west, so regions at similar latitudes tend to share day length, climate, and vegetation. These similarities made biological diffusion easier.
3
Question
Why did European populations possess greater resistance to smallpox than the Incas?
46:25
Answer
Repeated epidemics in Europe favored people who were genetically better able to resist the virus. Over centuries, survivors passed some of this resistance to their descendants.
4
Question
How did domesticated animals contribute to the development of deadly human diseases?
45:36
Answer
Long-term close contact with domesticated animals allowed animal pathogens to evolve into human diseases. The transcript gives influenza, measles, and smallpox as examples associated with animal sources.
5
Question
How did horses give the Spanish conquistadors a decisive battlefield advantage?
38:57
Answer
Horses provided mobility, height, intimidation, and a platform from which riders could stab or slash downward. Inexperienced opponents broke ranks, allowing cavalry to attack among them.
6
Question
Which Inca territory did the empire encompass during the 1530s?
4:38
Answer
It extended along the Andes from modern-day Ecuador to central Chile, covering approximately two and a half thousand miles.
7
Question
Who led the Spanish expedition that entered Inca territory?
3:12
Answer
Francisco Pizarro led the conquistadors into the Inca Empire.
8
Question
What type of people composed much of Pizarro’s expedition?
3:06
Answer
They were mercenaries and adventurers rather than professional soldiers.
9
Question
Which major Inca settlement did Pizarro’s expedition reach?
22:42
Answer
The expedition reached the edge of the Inca Empire and entered the valley of Cajamarca.
10
Question
What numerical imbalance confronted the Spaniards at Cajamarca?
26:22
Answer
Approximately 168 Spanish soldiers faced an Inca army of about 80,000 men.
11
Question
What happened during the initial Spanish attack on the Inca imperial army?
0:31
Answer
The Spaniards massacred approximately 7,000 people, seized control of the Inca ruler, and lost no Spanish lives.
12
Question
Which geographical explanation does Jared Diamond propose for unequal global power?
1:28
Answer
He argues that geography, including continental shape and the distribution of crops and animals, allowed some cultures to flourish while others were left behind.
13
Question
Why did agriculture give some societies an early developmental advantage?
7:58
Answer
Productive crops and animals supported more food production, which enabled larger populations and more complex societies.
14
Question
Where did agriculture first develop according to the historical account?
8:17
Answer
Agriculture first developed in the Fertile Crescent, a region of the Middle East.
15
Question
How did crops and animals from the Fertile Crescent affect Europe?
8:23
Answer
They spread into North Africa and Europe, where they contributed to an expansion of civilization.
16
Question
Which agricultural advantages did European livestock provide beyond food?
9:00
Answer
Livestock supplied milk, wool, leather, manure, and muscle power for plowing.
17
Question
How did animal traction increase European agricultural productivity?
9:22
Answer
Horses and oxen could be harnessed to plows, enabling farmers to cultivate land more productively and grow more food.
18
Question
Which large domesticated animal was available to the Incas?
9:57
Answer
The llama was the only large domestic animal identified in the account.
19
Question
Why did llamas provide less agricultural power than European livestock?
10:06
Answer
Llamas were not harnessed to plows, so they did not provide the same agricultural muscle power as horses or oxen.
20
Question
Which crops were the Incas especially skilled at cultivating?
10:16
Answer
The Incas were especially skilled at growing potatoes and corn.
21
Question
Why did horses intimidate many Inca observers?
10:42
Answer
The Incas had never seen people carried by animals, so mounted Spaniards appeared strange, frightening, and potentially supernatural.
22
Question
Which style of horsemanship was associated with Spanish cavalry?
12:07
Answer
The transcript identifies a style called jineta, emphasizing control and maneuverability through bent knees and one-handed rein use.
23
Question
How did cavalry experience gained from working with bulls become militarily useful?
13:06
Answer
Working with bulls trained Spanish horsemen to control powerful, unpredictable animals at close range. That horsemanship transferred to cavalry combat, helping them maneuver confidently through chaotic enemy formations and attack effectively with their weapons.
24
Question
Who was the Inca ruler present at Cajamarca?
14:05
Answer
Atahuallpa was the Inca ruler present at Cajamarca.
25
Question
Why did Atahuallpa initially invite the Spaniards to Cajamarca?
14:57
Answer
He intended to draw them into a trap and believed that a controlled encounter would demonstrate his power over the alleged divine strangers.
26
Question
How did Atahuallpa’s intelligence reports characterize the Spaniards?
15:16
Answer
They described the Spaniards as unusual human beings wearing wool on their faces and carrying small pots on their heads, rather than as gods.
27
Question
Which military technology gave Spain a major advantage by the 1530s?
17:06
Answer
The harquebus had become an important part of the Spanish arsenal.
28
Question
How did European military competition influence Spanish weapons development?
16:42
Answer
Centuries of warfare with the Moors and other European armies created an arms race that encouraged Spain to keep pace with weapons technology.
29
Question
Where did gunpowder originate, and who pioneered its early weaponization?
17:12
Answer
Gunpowder originated in China, where Chinese innovators pioneered its early weaponization. Its use later spread westward through the Islamic world and Europe, where it was further developed.
30
Question
Why could even a crude firearm terrify the Inca forces?
17:57
Answer
The Incas had not encountered such weapons, so the gun’s sound, smell, smoke, and occasional lethal effect would have been psychologically shocking.