Significant Technologies Development - Assignment Example

First Exam - Global Perspectives Place answers after the questions These five questions are your first exam and are worth 40 points each. You may use any source in answering them as well as your book. They are issues we have covered but as you can see they ask for more application of the information than some of the discussion questions. Everyone answers all questions and please answer with as much detail as possible and back up your arguments with specific examples. When you have finished, make sure you place your name on the document, and send it to me as an email attachment. The test is due by the end of the day, April 23. 1. There is mention of numerous advancements in technology, beginning with the advances that came from the military in WWII, to things such as the television and telephone. What impact do you believe technology played in this period compared to other forces? Be sure to back up your points with specific examples. One of the most significant technologies developed during WWII was the atomic bomb, used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The technology used in these weapons was developed in the Manhattan Project, which was a race between U.S. scientists and their German counterparts. The result of this technology was the sobering realization that humans had the new capability to inflict a nuclear Armageddon that could wipe out civilization. During WWII only technology aimed at the war effort was developed. All types of weaponry and vehicles were improved during WWII. Electronics were also developed for wartime communications; fields such as cybernetics and computer science can be said to have their roots in war efforts such as the ENIAC, needed for code-breaking and ballistics tables. WWII actually slowed down the development of television, since it was not an aim of the war effort. Another important technological development during WWII was in radar and radio research and technology developed for use in the military. These advances would lead to radio telescopes and the new field of radio astronomy after the war. Radio astronomy enabled discovery of astronomical objects that could not be seen by their visible light but could be detected in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. This development is said to have opened up a new window on the universe. Technology drastically changed the lives of people during this time. The use of penicillin during this time began to have a large effect on saving lives. 2. Wealth is a significant issued raised during the chapters that you have read. What are the benefits to those who are wealthier? How is this wealth used in different ways? What drawbacks or negative effects do you see, if any, of that wealth on certain countries? The most significant effect of wealth is power over others. The possession of money symbolizes power to make others act in ways you wish them to, either through paying them or suggesting the possibility of payment. A wealthy country has the power to affect the conditions of poorer countries to the degree of the financial imbalance. Wealthy countries can withhold aid to a poor country until certain conditions are met, effectively using wealth to set the political agendas of the other country. One of the most common uses of wealth and economic power is the imposition of economic sanctions against countries in times of conflict. One of the most negative effects wealthy countries have on poorer countries today is through the process of globalization. As technology and travel increasingly allow wealthy countries to reach into poor countries to exploit their resources without oversight, poor countries are increasingly vulnerable to corporations and businesses that do not take into account their best interest. Anti-globalization protests have been focused against the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. The World Band and the IMF were created after WWII. They lend money to countries only on certain conditions called "structural adjustment policies" ("The World Bank..."); for instance, if the debtor country allows foreign corporations access to its economy, workers and resources for cheap. Another condition is that publicly owned resources become privately owned. The effects of all of this on the debtor country is a reduced national budget and reduced domestic spending on health care, education and other areas that contribute to quality of life. Food is grown for exporting instead of for the local people; inequality between industrial nations and the debtor nations and the gap between the rich and poor widens; and the environment is destroyed in order for the debtor nation to be exploited for use by the industrial nation. 3. Germany is mentioned at many points in the chapters and for many reasons. Why is Germany such an important issue during this period? Do you believe that issue is overplayed by the author? In your opinion, would different policies towards Germany have produced a dramatically different impact on World history? Why? What impact do you believe all of these situations have had on Germany today? Germany is important during this period because it is credited with being one of the countries that caused World War II, along with Japan and Italy. The German invasion of Poland is the precipitating event of WWII. The "expansionist and hegemonic ambitions" ("World...") of these countries are thought to be the root cause of WWII. The goal of stopping the spread of Nazi Germany is what caused the build up of Allied troops and the eventual storming of Germany. Germany is also important in the aftermath of WWII, when it was split into East and West Germany along the Berlin Wall. The role of Germany during this time probably cannot be overplayed. Italy and Japan also had similar ambitions, but without the actions and ambitions of world conquest of Germany, presumably there would have been no Axis powers. Different policies toward Germany may not have produced an end to WWII. Because Nazi Germany was intent on conquering and controlling the world, there is an argument to be made that they had to be defeated militarily. In addition, the Holocaust would not have been ended without first removing the Nazis from power. Trying to solve the problems of Nazi Germany by using policy only would have impacted world history by possibly creating a Nazi German controlled world. The situations of WWII and the defeat of Nazi Germany seems to have left Germany without a sense of confidence that they can move in a direction that is acceptable to the rest of the world. Germany appears to be cautious about entering into international issues and conflicts. 4. The author Seymour Lipsett writes a work called American Exceptionalism. What he means by this is that America is not necessarily better or worse than the rest of the world just very different. Do you disagree with this? If so why? If you do believe this what do you see as the most important differences and why? America is different than even other developed countries of the world in its values and its commitment to capitalism. This often leads America to take strange stances, as viewed by the rest of the world. For instance, when 169 countries signed the Kyoto Treaty, only the U.S. government and Australia abstained from ratifying it, the U.S. citing problems the treaty might cause in the economy. The present U.S. government has done nothing to mitigate climate change, which is unlike most other developed countries. America is better than most countries of the world in terms of wealth and power. America is worse than most countries in terms of universal health care and environmental issues. America is also one of the worst countries in terms of equality between the sexes in elected representation; America ranks 69th in the world, with only 15 percent female elected representation. Nordic countries have 40 percent representation, and Rwanda has 48 percent. Combining all these aspects together, America cannot be declared better or worse in every aspect; these facts provide an argument that America is just different. One of the most unique characteristics of America is its combination of wealth and religiousness. Americans are significantly more religious than other developed countries, and in this way are more like the third world. Approximately 59 percent of Americans are religious, compared to just 30 percent in Canada ("Among Wealthy..."). No European country is above 36 percent religious. This trait of religiousness was present early in America in the Puritans of New England. Many of the unique traits of America can be seen in the way America was shaped since its first colonies. Puritanical disapproval of drunkenness and sexuality outside of marriage still exists today. In addition, the Puritanical values of hard work and the egalitarian goal of equal rights for everyone also persist within the U.S. 5. Your author mentioned that many revolutionary changes occurred in places where the country had been occupied by Germany or Japan during World War II and that when those areas were freed; a power vacuum existed in those areas. How significant due you see this point in the paths that many countries took after the war? After Poland was released from invasion by Germany and the Soviet Union, the Government of the Polish Republic in Exile was not able to return to Poland because communist forces filled the power vacuum there. The Polish Republic government remained in exile until 1990 when Lech Walesa was elected president. After WWII, Korea was freed from Japanese occupation. The power vacuum there was quickly filled by Korea then being divided by the Soviet Union and the U.S. along the 38th parallel. This occurred before Koreans had a chance to establish a government of their own. After parts of China were freed from Japanese occupation, China was left in a power vacuum that resulted in civil war between the Kuomintang and the communists. The Kuomintang and its Republic of China was left weakened by the war against Japan and had to flee to Taiwan as the communists formed the Peoples Republic of China on the Chinese mainland. After Burma was released from Japanese occupation, Burma achieved independence, but for over a dozen years there were communist insurgencies. This was followed by a period of political instability and a coup which ushered in two long military eras separated by an uprising. These examples show that after countries were released from Germanys or Japans control, a revolutionary time period usually followed until the power vacuum was filled. In many instances the government that would otherwise be in power was weakened by the WWII and was forced into exile. In some cases, such as in Burma, unrest lasted for many years. Works Cited "Among Wealthy Nations, U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion." 19 Dec 2002. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Retrieved 21 Apr 2007 from . "The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund." Global Exchange. 2006. Retrieved 21 Apr 2007 from . "World War II." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Apr 2007. Retrieved 21 Apr 2007 from . Read More