“Great Nations of Europe” by Randy Newman
On “Great Nations of Europe”, Randy Newman employs a sarcastic stance, hailing the great nations of Europe and how they took over several countries in the world from the 16th century through to the 19th century.
The song addresses how they would simply kill whoever possesses the lands they want and take over their families and resources. The writer describes the conquest of The Grand Canary Islands and the elimination of the Guanches by the 17th Century. He goes on to talk about how Europeans forcefully took over empires such as the Aztec Empire, Inca Empire as well as the Native American cultures through violence and diseases.
The track ends with the writer concluding that in the near future, some sort of virus can spring up like the European nations and destroy humanity.
“Great Nations of Europe” was solely composed by Randy Newman. He subsequently released it on June 1, 1999. It was track 5 off his album titled Bad Love.
How did the Europeans spread diseases during their New World explorations?
Between the 15th and 17th Centuries, the Europeans embarked on an expedition to discover new territories. This exploration however came along with its own challenges especially to the new world. Due to the lifestyle of the Europeans, they came into contact with a number of domesticated animals like dogs, pigs, and goats. This led to the emergence of Eurasian germs which were later transmitted to the indigenes due to their interactions with the foreigners. Illnesses such as smallpox, influenza, and typhus were predominant during this period. Historical accounts have it that at least 10 million died from sicknesses which were brought into these new territories by the Europeans.
