Continuity and Change in a Globalized World
Today, no country can ever truly cut itself off from the global media or from external sources of information; trends that start in one corner of the world
are rapidly replicated thousands of miles away . . .
—Francis Fukuyama, political scientist (born 1952)
Learning Objectives
- I: Explain the extent to which science and technology brought change in the period from 1900 to the present.
One perspective shared by many scholars is that the 20th and 21st centuries
were periods of unprecedented change. One factor in bringing about this transformation was the pace of discovery in science and the number of technological achievements made since the turn of the 20th century. These scientific and technological advancements led to changes in society, politics, economics, culture, and the environment. While many outcomes of these advancements were positive, they also included some unintended consequences that had negative impacts. Responses to these outcomes were varied.
Reflect
REFLECT ON THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. Continuity and Change In 1919, economist John Maynard Keynes wrote:
“What an extraordinary episode in the progress of man that age was
which came to an end in August 1914! . . . The inhabitant of London
could order by telephone, sipping his morning tea in bed, the various
products of the whole earth . . . he could at the same time and by the same
means adventure his wealth in the natural resources and new enterprise
of any quarter of the world . . . he could secure forthwith, if he wished it,
cheap and comfortable means of transit to any country or climate . . . .”
This review topic emphasizes changes. Use Keynes’s description of life
in 1914 as a starting point for noting continuities since 1900 as well.
Consider such areas as technology, globalization, relation of developed
to developing nations, status of women, and cultural exchange.
2. In one to three paragraphs, explain how science, technology, politics, justice, transportation, communication, and the environment changed and stayed the same after 1900.