Unit 9: Globalization and the Modern World Exhaustive Review Notes on the Modern World since 1900

Technological Advancements in Communication and Transportation

• The Concept of World Shrinkage: New technologies in communication and transportation have increasingly "shrunk" the world in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. While not literally reducing physical size, they have added connections between people, reduced travel time, and simplified global communication.
• Communication Technologies:     * Specific Examples: Radio, cell phones, and the Internet.     * Cultural Impacts: These technologies cause people to come into contact with ideas outside their original culture, leading directly to the globalization of culture.
• Transportation Technologies:     * Air Travel: Travel in airplanes facilitated mass migration and strengthened economic connections globally as businesses utilized aircraft for shipping goods.     * Shipping Containers: These are a focal point for the College Board due to their impact on global trade. The advent of the shipping container increased the freight volume of goods that can be shipped internationally, leading to a massive increase in global commerce.

New Energy Technologies and Worker Productivity

• Energy Sources: The shift to petroleum and nuclear power characterized the energy landscape of the twentieth century.
• Economic and Industrial Effects: These technologies increased worker productivity and expanded the volume of goods manufactured.
• Disparate Outcomes: While beneficial for some in terms of wealth and supply, these advancements have not been equally beneficial for all global populations.

Medical Innovations and Demographic Shifts

• Birth Control:     * Developed in the middle of the twentieth century, this medication gave women increased control over reproductive timing and frequency.     * Consequences: Led to declining birth rates in Western countries and other regions, such as Italy and Germany.     * Non-Western Example: Japan also experiences declining birth rates linked to these and other factors.
• Vaccines:     * Vaccines put an end to numerous diseases in wealthy, developed nations.     * Specific Diseases eradicated/controlled: Polio and measles.     * Disparity: These diseases still exist within developing nations, highlighting the gap in medical access.

Advances in Agriculture: The Green Revolution

• Definition: The Green Revolution refers to scientific advances in the mid-to-late twentieth century that transformed global food production.
• Process: Scientists used controlled crossbreeding to create new, high-yield strands of wheat and grain.
• Impact: This led to more abundant harvests than were previously possible. Much of this revolution occurred within developing nations.

The Changing Profile of Global Disease

• Diseases Associated with Poverty:     * In the modern era, diseases are increasingly segmented by socioeconomic status. Certain diseases affect mainly impoverished communities that lack access to modern cures.     * Examples: Malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera.     * Inequality: While vaccines and cures exist, access is often restricted to wealthy nations, leaving ancient diseases to spread in impoverished populations.
• Pandemic Diseases:     * Globalization has facilitated the spread of new diseases that lead to global pandemics.     * Examples: Ebola, AIDS/HIV, and the Spanish Flu pandemic of $1918$.     * Spanish Flu specifics: Spread at the end of World War I ($WWI$) with devastating effects on the global population.     * Consequences of Pandemics:         1. Demographic and Social: Loss of life, social disruption, economic slowdowns, and the cessation of social functions.         2. Innovation: Pandemics spur technological and medical advances, such as the rapid development of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-$19$ pandemic.
• Diseases Associated with Longevity:     * In developed nations, better diets and medication allow people to live longer, introducing diseases associated with old age.     * Examples: Heart disease and Alzheimer's.     * Cancer: Noted as a significant disease, though not exclusively associated with old age in the same way as Alzheimer's.

Global Environmental Challenges

• Deforestation: Huge swaths of forest are cleared at an alarming rate to create farmland to feed the growing global population.
• Desertification: The transformation of fertile land into desert. This is caused by a combination of deforestation and the application of harmful chemicals, rendering land no longer arable.
• Air Quality and Pollution:     * The Great Smog of London ($1950\text{s}$): An example where natural fog combined with industrial coal emissions, leading to several days of toxic air that killed approximately $10,000$ people and caused widespread illness.
• Fresh Water Consumption:     * Agricultural Needs: Massive amounts of water are required for farming for the global population.     * Drinking Access: Many impoverished nations lack adequate access to clean drinking water.
• Climate Change and Global Temperature:     * Driven by industrialization and carbon emissions released into the atmosphere.     * Scientific Predictions: Rising sea levels and increased frequency/intensity of storms (apocalyptic scenarios).
• International Solutions:     * Kyoto Protocol ($1997$): An international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.     * Paris Agreement ($2015$): A global pact where member nations agreed to limit carbon emissions to stave off the effects of climate change.

Shifts in the Global Economy since $1900$

• Proliferation of Free Market Economics:     * The United States: Under Ronald Reagan, emphasized deregulation and tax cuts.     * Great Britain: Under Margaret Thatcher, implemented similar conservative, free-market policies.
• Rise of the Knowledge Economy:     * Wealthier nations (U.S., Finland, Japan) moved toward "knowledge work" where workers facilitate production using mental labor rather than manual manufacturing.     * Manufacturing Hubs: Less developed countries (Vietnam, Mexico) became the world's primary manufacturing centers.
• Multinational Corporations (MNCs):     * Logic: Businesses incorporated in one country but operating globally. They employ knowledge workers in their home country and manufacture goods cheaply in other countries for sale on the global market.     * Named Examples: Nestle (food/chocolate), Mahindra and Mahindra (Indian automobile manufacturer).
• Free Trade Agreements:     * Definition: Agreements to reduce trade barriers, such as tariffs, within regions.     * NAFTA: The North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.     * ASEAN: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which created a mutually independent economic unit in Southeast Asia.

Global Reform Movements and Human Rights

• Racial Equality:     * Apartheid: Resistance against institutionalized segregation in South Africa, led by Nelson Mandela.     * U.S. Civil Rights Movement: Challenged Jim Crow regulations, leading to the Civil Rights Act of $1964$.
• Class Reform in India: The "Caste Reservation System" was established to mandate a specific number of jobs for lower-caste members who had been historically marginalized.
• Gender Equality: The United Nations held the first World Conference on Women in $1975$, drafting a declaration of rights, including the right to vote.

The Globalization of Culture and Consumerism

• Music:     * Reggae: Originated in Jamaica; popularized globally by Bob Marley.     * K-pop: Originated in South Korea and gained a worldwide audience.
• Movies:     * Hollywood: Based in the U.S.; exported American values globally through film.     * Bollywood (Hindi Cinema Industry): Based in India; reflects Indian sensibilities and has achieved global popularity.
• Consumer Culture:     * Online Commerce: Companies like Amazon and Alibaba allow for the global purchase of goods.     * Global Brands: Brands like Coca-Cola (founded in Atlanta), McDonald's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) are recognized in nearly every country.

Resistance to Globalization

• Global North vs. Global South: Benefits of globalization are often concentrated in the Global North (developed nations), while less developed nations often view it as a threat.
• The Battle for Seattle ($1999$): A massive protest against the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• International Monetary Fund (IMF): Protests erupted in Germany against the IMF.
• Core Critique: These global institutions favor richer nations and foster global inequality.

Global Governance and the United Nations

• Formation: The United Nations ($UN$) was formed after World War II ($WWII$).
• Mission: Maintain world peace and foster international cooperation.
• Entities within the UN:     * The Security Council.     * The International Court of Justice.
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights: A document recognizing inherent rights for all humans regardless of their state, including the right to life, gender equality, and the banishment of slavery.
• Social and Economic Roles: The UN manages refugee protection and programs to address world hunger.

Questions & Discussion

• Super Chats and Shoutouts: The speaker acknowledges the moderators Matt and Erin for managing the chat and super chats.
• Arby's Anecdote: Discussion of the "Meat Mountain" at Arby's, described by the speaker's son as a massive meat sandwich, though the speaker expresses some hesitation regarding its health effects.