Collapse Excerpt

The following are questions for selections Jared Diamond's chapter from his book Collapse, entitled One Island, Two People, two Histories. Depending on your class this reading can be assigned as an independent assigning, in groups or even as a Jigsaw. Students should be responsible for annotating their text. 

One Island, Two Peoples, Two Histories 

from Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 

Vocabulary (329-337):

Background (329-333)

1. How is the forestation in Haiti and the Dominican Republic different today?(329)

2. Why is deforestation a problem? What are some of the consequences of it? (329)

3. What are some of the difficulties highlighted by Diamond that have caused Haiti to be one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere? (330)

4. What are some of the Dominican Republic’s main industries? (332)

5. What is Diamond’s Research Question? (333)

6. What is his thesis in your own words? (333)

Histories (333-338)

7. How was the indigenous Taino population on the Island of Hispaniola reduced from half a million to 3,000 in 30 years after Christopher Columbus arrived? (333-334)

8. Why did Spain decide to focus its attention and resources in other areas in Latin America rather than on the Island of Hispaniola (List 3 reasons)?

9. What is the moment that Diamond considers to be pivotal in the divergence of the two halves of the Island (334)?

10. Why did Haiti destroy its plantations and infrastructure after their war for independence in 1804? (335)

11. What happened in Santo Domingo in

a. 1821?

b. 1824?

c. 1844?

12. What evidence does Diamond provide to prove the political instability in Haiti and Dominican Republic? (336)

13. How was Haiti and the Dominican Republic perceived by other countries? (336)

14. Who occupied both parts of the Island in 1915 and why? (336)

15. Who came into power in the DR in 1930? How Does Diamond describe him? (337)

16. What did Trujillo do in the DR as its dictator? (337)

17. What caused Trujillo to loose power in DR? (337)

18. What was life like for Haitians under Duvalier (Papa Doc)? (338)

19. What does Diamond say Balaguer’s greatest achievement was once he came into power after Duvalier? (338)

Causes of Divergence (339-341)

20. What are some environmental differences between Haiti and the DR? (339)

21. Diamond believes that the different environments of the two countries are important, but there are other factors he considers more significant. What are they? Explain each in your own words.

a. First Social and Political difference: (339)

b. Second Social and Political Difference: (340)

c. Third Social and Political Difference: (340)

d. Fourth Cause of Divergence: (340-341)

e. Fifth Cause of Divergence: (341)

Dominican Environmental Impacts (341-345)

22. What was the first environmental countermeasure taken in the DR in 1901?(341)

23. What did Trujillo do in 1934? (342)

24. Why did Trujillo have such a vested interest in the forests of the Dominican Republic? (342)

25. What happened in the forests once Trujillo died? (343)

26. What needs did Balaguer recognize when he came into power in 1966? (343)

27. What did Balaguer do to ensure these needs were met? (343)

28. How did loggers react? (343)

29. What landmark event happened in 1967? What happened as a result? (343)

30. What happened in Haiti’s National Park in 1993? (344)

31. What were some other measures that Balaguer took to preserve DR’s forests but still make sure that the DR had timber resources? (344)

32. Why do you think Diamond calls Balauguer’s approach a “top-down environmental management”? (345)

33. What else developed in the DR after Balauguer’s passing? Why do you think this is beneficial? (345)

Balaguer (345-349)

34. How does Diamond portray Balaguer as a leader? (346)

35. Why did the man Diamond interviewed say that Balaguer was a “necessary evil”? (347)

36. What are some of the critiques Diamond had of Balaguer’s environmental policies? (348)

37. What are some of the theories that Balaguer might have cared so much for the environment of the Dominican Republic? (348) 

The Dominican Environment Today (349-352)

38. What environmental issues is the Dominican Republic still dealing with after Balaguer’s rule? (350)

39. What is “per-capita human impact?” Why is this a growing issue in the Dominican Republic? (351)

The Future (352-357)

40. Why are Dominicans pessimistic about the future of this country’s environment? (352)

41. Why are some Dominicans optimistic about the future of their country’s environment? (352)

42. Are all Dominican’s hopeful about their future? What in the reading lead you to this conclusion? (353)

43. If the Dominican Republic were to “fail” what other countries would it affect? (354)

44. What reasons does Diamond give that offer evidence of hope for Haiti? (354)

45. What affect with Haiti have on the Dominican Republic if it continues to decline? (355)

46. What parallels does Diamond see between Haitian immigration into the Dominican Republic and Latin American’s immigration into the US? (355)

47. Why might the Dominican Republic be unable to help Haiti? (356)

48. Why does Diamond argue is important for the Dominican Republic to try and help Haiti? (356)