TyggbarThe author of the unforgettable hit “Guns, Germs and Steel,” rehabilitating geographic determinism, has written a book about how states survive systemic tests of strength. Diamond selected seven countries as research cases based on the principle of personal acquaintance and deep immersion in local issues (perhaps not a very convincing criterion, but let’s say). The list includes the USA, Japan, Germany, Finland, Chile, Indonesia and Australia; they all suffered severe crises in the twentieth century – who, on the other hand, did not survive them in this century? – and everyone found their own way to get out.
Before moving on to a succinct historical analysis – not devoid of strange deviations, such as the analysis of the grammar of the Finnish language, – Diamond makes the assumption that the factors influencing the adaptation of the individual to psychological crises can be transposed to some extent on the fate of states. Hence, the conclusions based on the material of different countries resemble a synopsis of a psychological manual: the nations that survived were able to recognize the crisis, accept responsibility for it and not blame others, carried out selective changes, sought to enlist the help of other peoples, etc.
