Abstract

The Book, GUNS, GERMS and STEEL, by Jared Diamond (W. Norton & Company Inc., 1999), recounts the story of the rise and fall of human societies from different parts of the world. Although the book considers 13,000 years ago as the beginning of history, the discussion goes beyond that. In fact, the author was able to trace not only the dynamics of civilizations since ancient until the contemporary but also identify the underlying factors responsible for both strength and weakness of people, society and government.