Scientific and technological progress (STP) is the foundation of modern Western civilization

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

The scientific and technological process of the New Age (hereinafter referred to as STP) is a rapid development of technology that began in the 18th century and continues to this day. The importance of technological innovations can hardly be overestimated in their impact on European civilization. And the whole planet.

Industrial Revolution

The first stage of scientific and technical progress is the so-called industrial revolution, which began in England in the middle of the 18th century and continued until the beginning of the 20th century. This stage of scientific and technological progress was characterized mainly by the mechanization of labor that was previously manual.

Pioneers from the British Isle

Traditionally it is believed that the scientific and technological progress is the brainchild of this particular country. It was here that, since the 1760s, the most important changes were achieved in some areas of both light and heavy industry. For example, the invention of the yarn loom led to English domination of the European as well as the American textile markets. The appearance of the first steam engine in this country led to the replacement of the English fleet by ships of a new type - high-speed and ergonomic. This further cemented the already tradition althe advantage of the English fleet over the rest of the Europeans.

STP achievements also appeared in

infrastructure development. An example is the appearance of steam locomotives, as a result of which the country was very soon entangled in a whole network of railways, which facilitated communication between different regions of the country, trade between them, and so on. Important transformations also took place in heavy industry. For example, the invention of the milling machine led to a significant leap in the development of mechanical engineering.

Industrial Revolution in Europe

Of course, the first stage of scientific and technological progress is a phenomenon that is not unique to England. It all started in this country, but very soon progressive trends were adopted on the continent. Here appeared their own giants of light and heavy industry. For example, Germany, being a backward agrarian country in the middle of the 19th century, by the beginning of the 20th century managed to significantly increase its military and technological potential. In some areas - chemical, for example, she became a leader at all.

STP in the economy and society

At the same time, these processes were not limited to technological, commercial and military confrontation between competing states. The results of progress lay much deeper. The development of technology and the transition to machine labor literally destroyed the old agrarian-feudal relations and stimulated the development of bourgeois-capitalist relations based on trade and free competition. Along with the transformation of the economic system, the very nature ofsociety: its new classes arose (first of all, we are talking about workers and the bourgeoisie), the growth of cities accelerated, new socio-economic ideas arose that were to significantly transform the world's face.

The scientific and technological revolution in our daily life

Today we are all witnesses of the second stage of scientific and technological progress. By

According to researchers, it began around the middle of the 20th century and is expressed in space exploration, mass computerization (the first IBM developments date back to 1940) and the Internetization of the world space. Moreover, unprecedented advances in technology invariably lead to societal transformations. For example, the integrated automation of the production sector made it possible to free up billions of workers for other areas of activity. For the first time in the history of the planet, a significant part of its population is not employed in the production of food and essential goods. Knowledge-intensive industries, marketing specializations, and so on are growing, leading to the emergence of what we today call a post-industrial society.