China Geography World War Z

It was clear to me that Max Brooks was educated on the History, Geography, and Demographics of China when he wrote the book “World War Z.” The response of China to the infestation was in some ways consistent with those it had when dealing with wars of the past. One theme that carried over was overconfidence. For example, during the great leap forward, (1958-1961) Mao Zedong exported excess grain to other nations. The money Mao got from grain exports was supposed to help him pay off his debt to Russia. Then, when there was a dip in grain production, millions of people (between 18-45 million) starved to death. This could have been prevented had Mao been more cautious and kept a reserve of food. As a result of overconfidence, Mao is responsible for more deaths than Hitler. Moreover, as the famine continued, Mao proceeded to export even more grain in an effort to maintain

In World War Z, this geography contributed to the devastation of China in several ways. Given that the land surface of the country slopes down from west to east, and most of the population density is in the east, it would have been difficult for people to escape the zombies; they would have gotten trapped in the eastern cities. The terrain in China would have been very difficult to navigate. The diverse geography made it challenging for the nation to develop overland transportation infrastructure, thus further complicating the challenge of escaping the zombies. Another factor that affected China’s survival of the war was the bordering ocean (Pacific). In World War Z, many people ran to the “safety” of the sea. Admiral Xu Zhicai escaped with his crew and their family by stealing a Naval submarine. He survived by waiting out the war at the bottom of the Pacific ocean. Many people took to the sea in an effort to save themselves. Some successfully and others