Final answer:
Nomadic societies declined due to agricultural advancements, strong governments, and loss of pastoral lands. The introduction of the horse to North America changed the Plains groups, and industrialization caused competition for resources, leading to the settlement of nomadic peoples.
Step-by-step explanation:
Nomadic societies began to decline beginning in the early modern era for various reasons, but the ones historically significant include advancements in agricultural practices, the emergence of strong centralized governments, and a decrease in available pastoral lands and resources. The rise of sedentary agricultural communities and technological developments in farming allowed for a surplus of resources and less reliance on nomadic herding. Furthermore, as nations became more organized and centralized, they sought control over lands and people to collect taxes and bolster national security, directly opposing the nomadic lifestyle of moving across territories.
The Plains groups, for example, transformed from agriculturalists to nomadic hunter/gatherers with the reintroduction of the horse to North America, significantly altering their way of living. Meanwhile, industrialization contributed to the decline of nomadic groups as it led to the privatization and fencing of lands, pollution of water resources, and competition for grazing grounds with commercial livestock interests. Conditions such as environmental changes, epidemic diseases, and military pressures also played vital roles in this transition.