APWH Unit 9.1
Unit 9.1 — Advances in Technology and Exchange（1900–Present）
Essential Question:
How has the development of new technology changed the world since 1900?
One-glance Review
- Technology → drives globalization & interconnection
- Communication → instant global interaction
- Transportation → mass movement of goods & people
- Green Revolution → increase food supply BUT inequality & environmental damage
- Energy → fossil fuels → pollution; renewables still limited
- Medicine → longer life, lower death rates, social change
Core Ideas
Technology → Global Integration
- Technology shrinks the world
- People, goods, and ideas move faster than ever
Technology made globalization deeper and faster.
KEY TERMS BY THEME
SOCIETY: Communication
ENVIRONMENT: Ecology
TECHNOLOGY: Travel
TECHNOLOGY: Medicine
1. Communication & Transportation
Communication Revolution
- Radio → Early mass communication
- Television → Cultural diffusion
- Internet → Global information sharing
- Mobile phones → Individual media creation
Key Concept:
- Democratization of information
（信息传播民主化）
Effects
- Social media → Political mobilization
- For example:
Arab Spring（阿拉伯之春）
阿拉伯之春（Arab Spring）是指从2010年底开始，在中东和北非多个阿拉伯国家爆发的一系列反政府抗议、起义和政治运动。
Social media enabled rapid spread of protest movements across regions.
Transportation Revolution
- Airplanes → Mass human mobility
- Cargo planes → Global trade acceleration
- Shipping containers → Standardized global trade
Key Concept:
- Reduce cost of trade
- Increase efficiency of global exchange
2. The Green Revolution
What is it?
- Development of high-yield crops
- Use of:
- Fertilizers
- Pesticides
- Irrigation
- Mechanization
Key Innovations
- Crossbreeding（杂交）
- Genetic engineering（基因工程）
Positive Effects
- Increase agricultural output
- Reduce famine risks
- Improve food supply
The Green Revolution significantly increased global food production.
Negative Effects
- Small farmers cannot afford technology
- Land consolidation（土地集中）
- Unemployment（机械化导致失业）
- Environmental damage（环境破坏）
Key Concept:
- Economic inequality increases
Cause & Effect（因果）
Cause:
- Population growth
- Hunger crisis
Effect:
- Technological agriculture expansion
- BUT lead to→ Social inequality & ecological damage
3. Energy Technologies
Major Energy Shift
- Coal → Petroleum → Natural Gas → The introduction of Renewable Energy and the development of Nuclear Power.
Fossil Fuels（化石燃料）
- Nonrenewable（不可再生）
- Cause Pollution
Key Concept:
- Greenhouse Gases（温室气体）
- Global Warming
Nuclear Power
- Efficient but risky
- Radiation accidents
- Waste storage problems
Renewable Energy
- Solar（太阳能）
- Wind（风能）
Limitation:
- Still small percentage of global energy
4. Medical Innovations
Antibiotics（抗生素）
- Penicillin（青霉素）—1928
- Treat bacterial infections
Impact:
- Saved millions of lives
- Increased life expectancy
Problem
- Antibiotic resistance（抗药性）
Overuse of antibiotics leads to resistant bacteria strains.
Birth Control（节育）
- Birth control pill（避孕药）—1950s
Effects:
- Declining fertility rates
- Changing gender roles
Birth control contributed to shifting social and gender norms.
Vaccines（疫苗）
- Prevent diseases:
- Smallpox（天花，已消灭）
- Measles（麻疹）
- Polio（小儿麻痹）
Impact:
- Reduce death rates
- Improve public health
5. Cause and Effect
Technology → Society
- Improved communication → Globalization
- Improved medicine → Population growth
- Improved agriculture → Food security
Technology → Problems
- Industrialization → Pollution
- Green Revolution → Inequality
- Antibiotics → Resistance
Exam-ready Phrases and Sentences
-
Increase agricultural productivity
-
Facilitate global trade
-
Accelerate cultural diffusion
-
Contribute to environmental degradation
-
Reshape social structures
-
Widen economic inequality
-
Improve public health outcomes
-
Technological advancements accelerated globalization by increasing the speed of communication and transportation.
-
The Green Revolution improved food production but also widened economic inequality between large landowners and small farmers.
-
Fossil fuel consumption contributed significantly to environmental degradation and climate change.
-
Medical innovations such as vaccines and antibiotics greatly increased life expectancy and reduced mortality rates.
-
Social media played a crucial role in mobilizing political movements such as the Arab Spring.
LEQ / DBQ 使用思路
可用论点（Thesis Ideas）
- Technology since 1900 has transformed global interactions, but also created new inequalities and environmental challenges.
- While technological innovations improved human life, they also introduced unintended consequences.