Technological revolution: types, history, definition, achievements and problems

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Human nature strives to explore the world and transform it. The ability to consciously create something new determined the role of man in the history of the Earth. The consequences of a love of learning and innovating are technologies that make life easier for many people.

Definition and characteristics

Let's define the technological revolution: this is a general term that combines a sharp leap in the development of production methods and an increase in the role of science in the life of the state. This phenomenon is characterized by qualitatively new technologies that increase the level of production, as well as qualitative changes in all spheres of society and human activity. With each new technological revolution, there is an increasing demand for people with the specific skills required for a new production method.

Foreign concepts of human development

The question of the pace of development of scientific progress in the history of mankind has been considered repeatedly. This problem has been studied from different angles,and several theories are the most popular.

The author of the first foreign concept of technological revolutions is Alvin Toffler, a philosopher, futurist and sociologist originally from the USA. He created the concept of post-industrial society. There were three industrial and technological revolutions, according to Toffler:

1. The Neolithic, or agrarian revolution, which began in several regions of the planet at once, represented the transition of mankind from gathering and hunting to agriculture and cattle breeding. Spread across the planet unevenly. Earlier than others, along the path of the Neolithic revolution, the Far East began to develop, in the period of the tenth millennium BC.
2. The industrial revolution that originated in England in the 16th century. It was accompanied by a transition from manual labor to machine and factory production. Accompanied by urbanization and the introduction of new technologies. It was during the industrial revolution that the steam engine was created, the loom was created, various innovations were introduced in the field of metallurgy. Science, culture and education take a more important role in society.
3. Information, or post-industrial revolution that began in the second half of the twentieth century. Driven by the development of technology and its increased participation in all areas of society. A distinctive feature is the multiple increase in various sources of information. The process of robotization of industry begins, the role of human physical labor is falling, the demand for highly specialized professions, on the contrary, is growing. Entering the post-industrial era implies a change in all areassociety.

The second concept of human development was put forward by Daniel Bell, an American sociologist. Unlike his colleague, Toffler, Bell divided the stages of human development according to the principle of the invention of a particular subject or a certain level of scientific development. Bell identified three types of scientific and technological revolutions:

1. Invention of the steam engine in the 18th century.
2. Advances in science in the 19th century.
3. Invention of the computer and the Internet in the 20th century.

Domestic concept of human development

The following concept of human progress was developed by Anatoly Ilyich Rakitov, a Soviet and Russian philosopher. She divided the history of mankind into five stages, depending on the level of skill in disseminating information. Information technology revolutions:

1. Creating languages of communication.
2. The introduction of writing into human society in the VI-IV millennium BC. Appeared in several regions at once: China, Greece and Central America.
3. Creation of the first printing press. It was designed in the 15th century and allowed the development of printing, which served as an impetus for progress.
4. Invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This made it possible to transmit information at a distance in the shortest possible time.
5. Invention of the computer and the Internet in the second half of the 20th century. This ensured an unprecedented growth in the information sphere, opened access to knowledgealmost anywhere in the world, provoked the growth of human information needs and ensured their satisfaction.

Features of post-industrial society

Scientific and technological progress contributes to the accelerated development of all spheres of mankind. The main feature of the third technological revolution, during which society enters the post-industrial era, is the constancy of technology development, expressed in the almost complete absence of reactionary forces in the field of scientific knowledge. Thanks to this factor, nothing stands in the way of progress. Another characteristic of the third technological revolution is the active investment in the creation of environmentally friendly resources. The priority is the development towards technologies that are harmless to the ecology of the planet. The fact of constant creation of new methods of production and processing of products is also important.

Science and progress

Many transformations are taking place in the scientific field. Technological development gives rise to the active interaction of many sciences with each other. The tasks that mankind sets for itself in the name of progress can be solved by using all the scientific potential that it possesses. The consequence of such global goals is the active interaction of sciences, which, it would seem, will always be far from each other. Many interdisciplinary sciences are being created, which are actively revealing their potential during the technological revolution. An increasingly important role is played by the humanities, such as psychology andeconomy. Separately, new disciplines are developing, for example, information. With the beginning of the third technological revolution, more and more highly specialized or even new professions appear.

Industrial Revolution

Industrial, or industrial-technological revolution is a change in the society of the technological structure that affects production methods. It is she who deserves special attention, since thanks to her the birth of factory production took place and an impetus was given to scientific development. At the same time, this particular revolution is one of the most unfair for society. The technological map of the industrial revolution, achievements and problems are subject to consideration.

The Virtues of the Industrial Revolution

1. Partial automation of production and replacement of manual labor. The role of man in the production of goods became more important, but now the main work was done by machines specially created for one thing. Man only began to manage these machines, monitor their performance and adjust their tasks.
2. Changing views. The technological revolution, as described above, has greatly affected almost all areas of society. Thanks to the growth of industry, processes have begun that seek to destroy certain ideological vestiges that are useless in modern times. Society has become more free-thinking, less conservative.
3. Scientific progress. The development of production made it possible to spend more money on science andculture. The emergence of new ideologies that promote the development of mankind and the creation of a new one, the creation of new technologies that are immediately introduced into the industrial process, as well as the growing role of education and literacy.
4. The emergence of world leaders. Leading states are emerging in the world, representing a stronghold of scientific progress and culture. They were the ones who drove the progress forward. The world leaders at that time were the largest states of Europe, in which the revolution happened several centuries earlier than in other countries.
5. The rise in living standards. The industrial revolution ensured the growth of commodity turnover and capital, which contributed to an increase in the standard of living of society. Coupled with technological progress, this allowed man to live much better than his ancestors.

Flaws of the Industrial Revolution

1. Unemployment. The growth of industry, it would seem, should also create new jobs. However, the emergence of capitalist relations leads to the creation of unemployment. This is especially noticeable during crises of overproduction.
2. Working conditions. Child labor became commonplace in the 19th and 20th centuries. The working conditions were disgusting. In some workplaces, the working day reached 16 hours. Factory production was also poorly paid.
3. Ideological confrontation. The capitalist attitudes of those times were extremely immature. Growing inequality provoked revolutions, crises, civil wars and other problems.