Examine one aspect of modernization that impacted US about the great san francisco earthquake of 1906 - Essay Example

Reference is made to the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the relation between this event and modernization. The earthquake in San Francisco in 1906 is considered as ‘one of the worst natural disasters in US history ‘ (MCEER 2012). One particular aspect of the impact of modernization on US in the context of the above event is explored: the destruction of Chinatown in San Francisco as a result of the earthquake and the effects of this event on the life of locals and other Americans.

It is proved that the social effects of natural disasters can often be more severe than their environmental effects. In other words, modernization can often affect more profoundly the social life compared to severe natural disasters, the above view, as explored below, cannot lead to the assumption that modernization is the only aspect of social life affected by important natural disasters, as the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. Modernization, as developed through the decades, has been related to objectivism, a term used to reflect the trend of people to understand the meaning of things around them according to their needs (Wang, Yu and McLean 20).

The specific trend is of particular importance in order to understand the response of people, especially residents, to the earthquake of 1906 in San Francisco. In the particular event, two were the issues mostly highlighted: the response of people to critical events can be differentiated according to a series of factors; also, natural disasters can often heavily affect social life, at the level that the implications of a natural disaster on a country’s social norms are often difficult to be clearly identified and addressed.

Indeed, after the earthquake, Chinese, who are of a different social and cultural background compared to the city’s other residents, have tried to move their community, showing willingness to re-establish their social and