Technology (like airplanes and the Internet) helped increase globalization
Communication and Transportation Technology
Radio
- Radio invented in 1895 allowed people to hear the voices of people delivering information at a distance
- Eliminated intermediary filter between speaker and person
- Ex: leader can speak directly to the people instead of going through a newspaper which might project its biases
- FDR did this during WWII to comfort Americans during hard times and update them on policies he was enacting
Technology
- Not only can you hear someone but you can see them too!
Cellular Technology
- Came about in later 1900s, putting the ability to communicate with each other in our pockets
- People can communicate with someone instantly no matter where they are in the world
Social Media
- Democratized communication and gave anyone a platform to say whatever they wanted to and gain an audience
- Social Media played a big part in the Arab Spring 2010s
Commercial Airlines
- Instead of requiring weeks to trek from one side of the continent to the other, now it can be traveled in hours
- Mass shipment of goods can more easily and quickly be transported
New Energy Technology
- In the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, most energy came from burning coal, natural gas, and petroleum
Nuclear Energy
- First started to get used in the 1950s
- Far more renewable and cleaner source of energy
- However “cleaner” part is arguable (in Chernobyl, radiation contaminated the environment)
Green Revolution
- Took place after WWII
- Contributed to widespread reduction of poverty, averted hunger for millions, raised incomes
- Scientists developed new kinds of wheat and grains that yielded more abundant harvests and were more resistant to pests
- One way this was done was by genetically modifying crops to create GMOs
- We also see increased use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation (effect on environment)
- Helped to feed a rapidly growing population worldwide
- Led to rise of commercial farming
- Small farmers couldn’t compete with big corporations and as such were often absorbed by big corpsÂ
New Medical Technology
- First antibiotic invented in 1928
- Antibiotics are substances that kill bacteria
- First antibiotic was penicillin, saving the lives of millions, including soldiers in war
- Widespread use of vaccines
- Vaccines were not a new invention but their use spiked rapidly
- Used worldwide to combat diseases like smallpox, measles, polio
Birth Control
- First birth control pill invented in 1950s
- Result of widespread use of these pills was the decline of fertility rates globally
- Means women were having fewer babies on average
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