I don't know if that helps it "fit the theory," but to a simple chump like me, it looks like it.
While that would have had localized effects, certainly, it's doubtful that there would have been global effects, at least the kinds of effects we are seeing now. There simply weren't enough industrialized cities for that.
"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Friedrich Nietzsche