9.1

Question 1

Compare old vs. new (1900-present) communication/transportation technology

Answer 1

Old:
- new ship builds
*dhows
*lateen sail
*caravel
*fluyt
*carrick
- new navigation tools
*improved wind records
*improved astronomical charts
-telegraph
-railroads

New:
-radio
-television
-cellular phones
-airplanes
-mass shipping containers
-internet
-automobiles

Question 2

Name the new communication/transportation technologies from 1900-present.

Answer 2

• Radios
• Television
• Cellular phones
• Internet
• Airplanes
• Large overseas shipping containers
• Automobiles

Question 3

Explain how the invention of radios influenced society.

Answer 3

• invented in early 20th century, solved problems of geographical distance
• used in homes
• eliminated intermediary biases because the things someone heard could be heard directly by an intended audience rather than first being filtered or edited by a newspaper writer or other form of media
  *Franklin Delano Roosevelt used radios for his famous Fireside Chats during the Great Depression and WWII to comfort the public and update them directly on policies

Question 4

Explain how the invention of the television influenced society.

Answer 4

• invented mid-20th century
• had all the benefits of the radio, but now listeners could see the speaker as well
  *was important, as it aired important events like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War

Question 5

Explain how the invention of cellular technology influenced society.

Answer 5

• invented in the 1980s
• allowed instantaneous communication with anyone across the globe
• led to the rise of social media
  *Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
  *free speech influencer platforms essentially democratized communication in Western nations
• led to the dispersal of cultures, especially that of the west

Social media was crucial to the dispersion of information about social and political movements globally. For example, it was the prime reason the outside world knew about the Arab Spring, a 2010s series of anti-government protests across the Arab world that was documented on social media. Because of this, the government interfered with internet availability and censored social media.

Question 6

Explain how the invention and advancement in air travel influenced society, as well as the invention of automobiles.

Answer 6

AIR TRAVEL
- more efficient travel (shortened geographical distance = better international communication)
- facilitated the spread of culture
- more efficient trade

AUTOMOBILES
- made the creation of suburbs possible: extended cities and led to growth of suburbs bc people could now access city resources more easily from farther away

Question 7

Explain how the invention and advancement in cargo shipping influenced society.

Answer 7

The creation of mass cargo containers that could be transported by bulk overseas facilitated trade and encouraged companies to station their manufacturing sectors in developing countries due to the lower costs of labors and ease of transporting goods.

Question 8

Explain the development of new energy technology since the Industrial Revolution.

Answer 8

Since the Industrial Revolution, cities and its surrounding areas required a source of energy to maintain themselves and their machines running.
- Originally they used coal, then switched to petroleum and natural gas, which increased productivity but also caused increased pollution
- rise of nuclear energy: cleaner than fossil fuels and more renewable
*support for nuclear energy was rising until nuclear disasters produced widespread fears about using nuclear energy and made it unpopular
*Chernobyl power plant disaster (1980s): a nuclear reactor core exploded, radiated surrounding environment with about 400 times more radiation than the radiation from Nagasaki and Hiroshima combined

Question 9

Explain the Green Revolution and its significance.

Answer 9

A 20th century development.
- genetic engineering: scientifically developed new types of grain and wheat that harvested more and was more pest-resistant
*introduced to countries struggling to feed the population, and helped alleviate the problem: India, Mexico, Indonesia
- fertilizers and pesticides
- increased irrigation

This led to the rise of commercial farming, the increase in the use of farming land globally (and therefore deforestation), and a rapidly growing global population.

Small farmers became mostly unable to compete with wealthy commercial farmers because new technologies were often expensive, leading to the consolidation of small farms’ farmlands falling under the ownership of corporations.

CONCERNS:
- farmers encouraged to double-crop more, leading to soil erosion and desertification
- chemicals used for pesticides and fertilizers posed a threat to water sources: agricultural runoff pollutes freshwater

Question 10

Explain the rise and consequences of new medical technology during the period 1900-present.

Answer 10

• antibiotics: first one developed in 1928 (penicillin)
  *saved fighting soldiers
  *kills bacterial infections
• vaccines (not new - they’d existed in 17th century China, but here is where their use became notable)
  *inoculated populations against diseases (smallpox, measles, influenza, polio, pneumonia)
• birth control: pill developed in the 1950s with synthetic hormone excretion that prevents pregnancy
  *led to the decline of global fertility rates (less children on average)
  **Japan: birth rates declined, USA: the population growth slowed significantly even though birth rates didn’t go on a decline, many developing countries: population and birth rates continued growing (less access to medical resources)

Question 11

Explain how the invention of internet influenced society.

Answer 11

• invented in the US for scientific and military use in the 1960s, but became affordable for average citizens by 1990s
• WWW (world wide web)
• increased connectivity
  *emails esp. connected companies with clients and facilitated trade
  *gave way to social media, online buying platforms, online dating, etc.