9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange after 1900
6 min read•january 1, 2023
Natalie Pineda
Harrison Burnside
dylan_black_2025
Natalie Pineda
Harrison Burnside
dylan_black_2025
Introduction
and are closely intertwined phenomena that have revolutionized the way we live and interact with one another. The rapid advances in in recent decades have facilitated the spread of ideas, products, and practices around the globe, leading to a greater interconnectedness of people and societies.
, in turn, has been driven by advances in , which have allowed for the rapid exchange of information and ideas across borders. In this study guide, we will explore the ways in which has shaped and been shaped by , and consider the various impacts of these processes on individuals and societies. We will examine the role of in facilitating economic, cultural, and political exchange, as well as the potential drawbacks and challenges that have arisen as a result.
This study guide aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the interplay between and . We will explore the ways in which these phenomena have shaped and been shaped by one another, and consider the various impacts on individuals and societies. Through an in-depth analysis of the relationship between and , we will gain a deeper understanding of these complex and dynamic processes.
Communication Technology
We defined in very dictionary-like terms in the overview, but let’s zoom in on a more informal scale of what is! , today, makes the world feel smaller than it did in 1900. that makes it possible to talk to people from all sorts of backgrounds and ethnicities and cultures has made the biggest impact on this.
One of the major technological advancements that we’ve experienced since 1900 is definitely the 📱With my cell phone, I can call, text, and facetime people that live halfway across the world, over 10,000 miles away. Before we got to the , we went through innovations like the and that didn’t allow for as much connection or global communication as today.
If you go ask your parents right now, they’ll probably be able to tell you about how it used to be $10 more to make an international phone call on their wired landline phone just a couple decades ago. That charge on their phone bills made much harder, since it cost money to be able to talk to people of different nationalities that live far away! With new technology, the process of has become easier than ever before.
Travel Technology
Just as cell phones, email, and the internet have aided in our ability to communicate with one another even across the globe, new travel technologies developed during the twentieth century allowed people to travel across the world with ease. The most notable example of this is the example of the in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century air travel was by far the most popular and easy way of traveling across continents. While before one needed a boat to get from Europe to America and it took weeks, it now was achievable in a matter of hours.
The following map shows how air travel has revolutionized global travel:
Social Media
This map from Wikipedia shows the changes brought by the Arab Spring.
Wait . . . why is this under the section? 🤔
It’s a really cool reason! Many protesters used their phones to record what was happening live in the Middle East and broadcasted it on platforms like for people around the world to watch and experience what was happening. During the Bahraini , it’s estimated that the usage more than doubled. In Egypt, almost all of the protests were organized by groups using and to gather people and information. The New York Times wrote a piece in 2012 about how “the Generation'' helped to lead the movement, starting with an accidental rallying group that grew from 300 to 250,000 in just a couple of months.
Even beyond the , with the growth of platforms like and in the past decade, many new movements, like the Black Lives Matter Organization, have set up rallies, protests, and other events to protest social injustices ✊🏽
Agricultural Technology
In the mid-1900s, a guy named helped to pioneer an agricultural revolution in Mexico. This agricultural revolution was dubbed the by the , as it helped promote better methods of agriculture.
The helped introduce:
new , especially nitrogen-based fertilizers
new
new types of
High-yield strains of crops allowed for less land to be used for agriculture while producing more output, commonly known as . These were first used in mainly India and Mexico for types of rice, wheat, and other diet staple grain crops.
While questions were raised about human health and environmental hazards with these new technologies in agriculture, the innovations were largely a success and diffused rapidly across the globe. The diffusion of these crops helped to even fight hunger and drought in the African continent, which started to experience rapid population growth during this time period.
For his work in developing these agricultural innovations, was named “the Father of the ” and even won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work 🥇
Biotechnology
In the next key topic, 9.2: Technological Advances and Limitations after 1900: Disease, we’ll go more in depth into the changes that have taken place to combat diseases and illnesses across the globe. In this section, we’ll discuss some of the more major technological advancements in medicine, as opposed to our focus of the Human-Environment Interaction (HEI) with diseases in the next section! Remember to keep the SPICE-T topics that we discussed in the 9.0: Overview in mind.
Women’s Health
Even just in the 21st century, the healthcare industry has made great strides in the technology to affect . is now widely available in the More Developed Countries (MDCs) and even available through many NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in the Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs). With the greater availability of birth control in the modern world, this brings positive and negative consequences. Many of the positive consequences are focused on in textbooks and are easier to remember, so let’s focus on the negatives ones here.
Culturally, many organizations and groups, like the in the USA, are strongly opposed to modern birth control methods, including and .
Another negative impact for the growth of the human population is that increased access to leads to a decrease in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in almost all MDCs. In countries like Germany, with wide access to sexual education and in all forms, we are actually seeing a decrease in the total population and in the Natural Increase Rate (NIR). This will most likely lead to a lower population in total on the Earth and the decline of the human race if more countries start to follow this trend.
Key Terms to Review (34)
Abortion
: Abortion is a medical or surgical procedure that ends a pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus.Agricultural Technology
: Agricultural technology refers to the use of tools, inventions, and techniques to improve the efficiency and productivity of farming.Airplane
: An airplane is a powered flying vehicle with fixed wings and a weight greater than that of the air it displaces.Arab Spring
: The Arab Spring refers to a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in response to oppressive regimes and low living standards.Biotechnology
: Biotechnology is a broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make products. It often involves genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, hormones etc.Black Lives Matter Organization
: Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement originating in the African-American community that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.Cellular Phone
: A cellular phone, or cell phone, is a portable device that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area.Communication Technology
: Communication technology refers to the tools, systems, and devices that are used to transmit, receive and exchange information. This can include everything from traditional methods like print media and telephones to modern technologies like the internet and smartphones.Contraception
: Contraception is any method used primarily to prevent pregnancy. These methods include hormonal pills or devices (like IUDs), barrier methods (like condoms), emergency contraception ("morning-after" pills), permanent methods (like vasectomy or tubal ligation), etc.Evangelical Right
: The Evangelical Right refers to conservative Christian groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies. They often play a significant role in politics, particularly in the United States.Globalization
: Globalization is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. It involves increased interconnectedness among countries due to trade, culture exchange, political relations etc.GMOs
: GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.Green Revolution
: The Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives that occurred between 1950 and the late 1960s. It increased agricultural production worldwide particularly in developing countries by improving crop varieties and farming practices.High-yield Crops
: High-yield crops are varieties of plants bred specifically for their ability to produce larger amounts of food per acre compared with traditional varieties.iPhone XR
: The iPhone XR is a smartphone model developed by Apple Inc. It's part of the 12th generation of iPhones and features advanced technologies like facial recognition and an edge-to-edge display.Irrigation Methods
: Irrigation methods refer to various techniques used by farmers to apply water uniformly across fields for crop production.Landline Phones
: A landline phone is a traditional telephone system that uses a physical wire or fiber optic cable connection.Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs)
: LDCs are countries with low levels of economic development characterized by low income per capita, high poverty rates, low human development index (HDI), high dependency on agriculture, poor infrastructure etc.More Developed Countries (MDCs)
: More Developed Countries, or MDCs, are countries with highly developed economies and advanced technological infrastructures relative to other less industrialized nations. They typically have high per capita income levels, low population growth rates, high literacy rates and a strong social support system.Natural Increase Rate (NIR)
: The Natural Increase Rate (NIR) is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a population, expressed as a percentage. It does not include migration.Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
: NGOs are private sector, non-profit organizations that operate independently of any government. They are typically involved in humanitarian, educational, health care, public policy, social, human rights or environmental issues.Norman Bourlag
: An American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". He is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation by developing high-yielding and disease-resistant wheat varieties.Oral Contraception
: Oral contraception refers to birth control methods that are taken by mouth, such as the pill. These methods often use hormones to prevent ovulation and thus pregnancy.Reproductive Health
: Reproductive health refers to the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so.Social Media
: Social media refers to websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. It includes platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.Synthetic Fertilizers
: Synthetic fertilizers are man-made compounds that are applied to soil to provide nutrients necessary for the healthy growth of plants.Telegraph
: The telegraph is a communication system that transmits messages over long distances using coded signals. It was invented in the 19th century and revolutionized global communication.Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
: The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime, given current birth rates.Travel Technology
: Travel technology refers to the application of Information Technology (IT) or computer science in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. It is used by airlines, hotels, travel agencies and others to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.USAID
: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.Women’s Health
: Women's health refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being across different stages in life.9.1 Advances in Technology and Exchange after 1900
6 min read•january 1, 2023
Natalie Pineda
Harrison Burnside
dylan_black_2025
Natalie Pineda
Harrison Burnside
dylan_black_2025
Introduction
and are closely intertwined phenomena that have revolutionized the way we live and interact with one another. The rapid advances in in recent decades have facilitated the spread of ideas, products, and practices around the globe, leading to a greater interconnectedness of people and societies.
, in turn, has been driven by advances in , which have allowed for the rapid exchange of information and ideas across borders. In this study guide, we will explore the ways in which has shaped and been shaped by , and consider the various impacts of these processes on individuals and societies. We will examine the role of in facilitating economic, cultural, and political exchange, as well as the potential drawbacks and challenges that have arisen as a result.
This study guide aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the interplay between and . We will explore the ways in which these phenomena have shaped and been shaped by one another, and consider the various impacts on individuals and societies. Through an in-depth analysis of the relationship between and , we will gain a deeper understanding of these complex and dynamic processes.
Communication Technology
We defined in very dictionary-like terms in the overview, but let’s zoom in on a more informal scale of what is! , today, makes the world feel smaller than it did in 1900. that makes it possible to talk to people from all sorts of backgrounds and ethnicities and cultures has made the biggest impact on this.
One of the major technological advancements that we’ve experienced since 1900 is definitely the 📱With my cell phone, I can call, text, and facetime people that live halfway across the world, over 10,000 miles away. Before we got to the , we went through innovations like the and that didn’t allow for as much connection or global communication as today.
If you go ask your parents right now, they’ll probably be able to tell you about how it used to be $10 more to make an international phone call on their wired landline phone just a couple decades ago. That charge on their phone bills made much harder, since it cost money to be able to talk to people of different nationalities that live far away! With new technology, the process of has become easier than ever before.
Travel Technology
Just as cell phones, email, and the internet have aided in our ability to communicate with one another even across the globe, new travel technologies developed during the twentieth century allowed people to travel across the world with ease. The most notable example of this is the example of the in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century air travel was by far the most popular and easy way of traveling across continents. While before one needed a boat to get from Europe to America and it took weeks, it now was achievable in a matter of hours.
The following map shows how air travel has revolutionized global travel:
Social Media
This map from Wikipedia shows the changes brought by the Arab Spring.
Wait . . . why is this under the section? 🤔
It’s a really cool reason! Many protesters used their phones to record what was happening live in the Middle East and broadcasted it on platforms like for people around the world to watch and experience what was happening. During the Bahraini , it’s estimated that the usage more than doubled. In Egypt, almost all of the protests were organized by groups using and to gather people and information. The New York Times wrote a piece in 2012 about how “the Generation'' helped to lead the movement, starting with an accidental rallying group that grew from 300 to 250,000 in just a couple of months.
Even beyond the , with the growth of platforms like and in the past decade, many new movements, like the Black Lives Matter Organization, have set up rallies, protests, and other events to protest social injustices ✊🏽
Agricultural Technology
In the mid-1900s, a guy named helped to pioneer an agricultural revolution in Mexico. This agricultural revolution was dubbed the by the , as it helped promote better methods of agriculture.
The helped introduce:
new , especially nitrogen-based fertilizers
new
new types of
High-yield strains of crops allowed for less land to be used for agriculture while producing more output, commonly known as . These were first used in mainly India and Mexico for types of rice, wheat, and other diet staple grain crops.
While questions were raised about human health and environmental hazards with these new technologies in agriculture, the innovations were largely a success and diffused rapidly across the globe. The diffusion of these crops helped to even fight hunger and drought in the African continent, which started to experience rapid population growth during this time period.
For his work in developing these agricultural innovations, was named “the Father of the ” and even won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work 🥇
Biotechnology
In the next key topic, 9.2: Technological Advances and Limitations after 1900: Disease, we’ll go more in depth into the changes that have taken place to combat diseases and illnesses across the globe. In this section, we’ll discuss some of the more major technological advancements in medicine, as opposed to our focus of the Human-Environment Interaction (HEI) with diseases in the next section! Remember to keep the SPICE-T topics that we discussed in the 9.0: Overview in mind.
Women’s Health
Even just in the 21st century, the healthcare industry has made great strides in the technology to affect . is now widely available in the More Developed Countries (MDCs) and even available through many NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in the Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs). With the greater availability of birth control in the modern world, this brings positive and negative consequences. Many of the positive consequences are focused on in textbooks and are easier to remember, so let’s focus on the negatives ones here.
Culturally, many organizations and groups, like the in the USA, are strongly opposed to modern birth control methods, including and .
Another negative impact for the growth of the human population is that increased access to leads to a decrease in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in almost all MDCs. In countries like Germany, with wide access to sexual education and in all forms, we are actually seeing a decrease in the total population and in the Natural Increase Rate (NIR). This will most likely lead to a lower population in total on the Earth and the decline of the human race if more countries start to follow this trend.
Key Terms to Review (34)
Abortion
: Abortion is a medical or surgical procedure that ends a pregnancy by removing an embryo or fetus before it can survive outside the uterus.Agricultural Technology
: Agricultural technology refers to the use of tools, inventions, and techniques to improve the efficiency and productivity of farming.Airplane
: An airplane is a powered flying vehicle with fixed wings and a weight greater than that of the air it displaces.Arab Spring
: The Arab Spring refers to a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in response to oppressive regimes and low living standards.Biotechnology
: Biotechnology is a broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make products. It often involves genetic manipulation of microorganisms for the production of antibiotics, hormones etc.Black Lives Matter Organization
: Black Lives Matter is an international activist movement originating in the African-American community that campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people.Cellular Phone
: A cellular phone, or cell phone, is a portable device that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area.Communication Technology
: Communication technology refers to the tools, systems, and devices that are used to transmit, receive and exchange information. This can include everything from traditional methods like print media and telephones to modern technologies like the internet and smartphones.Contraception
: Contraception is any method used primarily to prevent pregnancy. These methods include hormonal pills or devices (like IUDs), barrier methods (like condoms), emergency contraception ("morning-after" pills), permanent methods (like vasectomy or tubal ligation), etc.Evangelical Right
: The Evangelical Right refers to conservative Christian groups that are characterized by their strong support of socially conservative policies. They often play a significant role in politics, particularly in the United States.Globalization
: Globalization is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. It involves increased interconnectedness among countries due to trade, culture exchange, political relations etc.GMOs
: GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms, are organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. This creates combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and virus genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.Green Revolution
: The Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives that occurred between 1950 and the late 1960s. It increased agricultural production worldwide particularly in developing countries by improving crop varieties and farming practices.High-yield Crops
: High-yield crops are varieties of plants bred specifically for their ability to produce larger amounts of food per acre compared with traditional varieties.iPhone XR
: The iPhone XR is a smartphone model developed by Apple Inc. It's part of the 12th generation of iPhones and features advanced technologies like facial recognition and an edge-to-edge display.Irrigation Methods
: Irrigation methods refer to various techniques used by farmers to apply water uniformly across fields for crop production.Landline Phones
: A landline phone is a traditional telephone system that uses a physical wire or fiber optic cable connection.Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs)
: LDCs are countries with low levels of economic development characterized by low income per capita, high poverty rates, low human development index (HDI), high dependency on agriculture, poor infrastructure etc.More Developed Countries (MDCs)
: More Developed Countries, or MDCs, are countries with highly developed economies and advanced technological infrastructures relative to other less industrialized nations. They typically have high per capita income levels, low population growth rates, high literacy rates and a strong social support system.Natural Increase Rate (NIR)
: The Natural Increase Rate (NIR) is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a population, expressed as a percentage. It does not include migration.Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
: NGOs are private sector, non-profit organizations that operate independently of any government. They are typically involved in humanitarian, educational, health care, public policy, social, human rights or environmental issues.Norman Bourlag
: An American agronomist, humanitarian and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". He is credited with saving over a billion people worldwide from starvation by developing high-yielding and disease-resistant wheat varieties.Oral Contraception
: Oral contraception refers to birth control methods that are taken by mouth, such as the pill. These methods often use hormones to prevent ovulation and thus pregnancy.Reproductive Health
: Reproductive health refers to the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system. It implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, the capability to reproduce, and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so.Social Media
: Social media refers to websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or participate in social networking. It includes platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.Synthetic Fertilizers
: Synthetic fertilizers are man-made compounds that are applied to soil to provide nutrients necessary for the healthy growth of plants.Telegraph
: The telegraph is a communication system that transmits messages over long distances using coded signals. It was invented in the 19th century and revolutionized global communication.Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
: The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime, given current birth rates.Travel Technology
: Travel technology refers to the application of Information Technology (IT) or computer science in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. It is used by airlines, hotels, travel agencies and others to improve operational efficiency and customer experience.USAID
: The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance.Women’s Health
: Women's health refers to the branch of medicine that focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of diseases and conditions that affect a woman's physical and emotional well-being across different stages in life.
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