History and Technology Relationship Analysis

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Technological History
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The human species, homo sapiens, have been on this planet for roughly 200,000 years. Throughout those years, there have been rises and falls of empires, wars and revolutions, incredible inventions, and technological advances. As the lives of people change, they create new things to facilitate their daily lives. It is undeniable that history and technology, no matter how different as concepts, have had a complementary relationship throughout their existence. As the lifestyles of the people change, so does the technology that they use to advance. On the other hand, as technological advancements are made, people adopt lifestyles that are more fitted to the new world order. The following essay strives to demonstrate this relationship with examples from throughout the history of humankind.

Technological History

Technology has been an invaluable companion the human evolution for as long as humankind has existed, and even longer. The first technological advances were made around 2.5 million years ago when the ancestors of Homo sapiens discovered that stones and rocks could be used as tools (Headrick 1). The next significant innovation was made by another ancestor of Homo sapiens, Homo erectus, almost two million years later with the domestication of fire (Gregersen). As the historical timeline went on, the vital technological advances became more and more frequent, with the two most recent notable discoveries being only five years apart. In 2012, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier found a way to alter DNA (Gregersen). Five years later, AlphaGo announced that they had developed a world-champion go player Artificial Intelligence program (Gregersen). The latter is even more impressive if one considers that the first computers were created less than 100 years prior by an Iowa State mathematician and physicist, John Atanasoff (Gregersen). The increase in the frequency of technological advances can be attributed to the fact that humankind is no longer simply surviving.

Globalized World: Communication and Travel

Especially relevant throughout recent history, technological advances have played a big part in shaping a globalized world and international relations of countries. It doesn’t seem easy to imagine now that it could take years to get from one country to another at some point in human history. Today, some of the longest flights one might take could be just over 24 hours. Furthermore, with the development of the internet and telephones, instant communication is now possible and widely used globally. Getting in touch with someone across the globe is as easy as typing up an email and addressing it to the person that instantly receives it. These advancements in communication and transport are partially responsible for the globalization that has been happening rapidly over the past few decades. People conduct business from different countries simultaneously, with headquarters in Paris, Denver offices, and Tianjin factories. This globalization is all made possible with technological advances.

However, it is also evident that globalization in itself pushes technological progress to be made. With the world becoming more instant in everything, advancements are made constantly to facilitate the daily life of humanity. For example, James Watt created the steam engine in 1765; just over 150 years later, high-speed trains take their passengers from A to B at over 200 miles per hour (Headrick 91). As people became more interested in traveling, they created a demand for higher-speed transport, further globalizing the world. The interweaved relationship between technology and history is evident.

Military Developments

The XXth century saw the unraveling of two World Wars, a Cold War, and numerous other conflicts. While there have been countless national and international conflicts throughout human history, technological advances are what made the World Wars possible. With the technology to fly across the Atlantic and shoot the opponent from hundreds of yards away, armies could conduct wars on a much bigger scale than ever possible before. The existence of materials necessary for these military maneuvers shaped the history of the XXth century. However, the events of the World Wars also caused technological developments as a result of them. The atomic bomb, which was created during the Second World War in the Manhattan projects, is undoubtedly one of the most lethal and large-scale weapons to have ever existed (Headrick 131). Wartime gave a push for the technological sector to create a weapon that would be undefeated, so the flow of history influenced the technology.

Furthermore, during the Cold War, the US and USSR competition pushed both countries to exceed their expectations of what technology can do, sending the first man to space and, only a few years later, to the Moon. Similar to the World Wars example, if it was not for the motivation caused by then-current events of the Cold War, humanity might have taken many more years to achieve what it had in space. Furthermore, other advancements were made as a result of this rivalry. By budgeting into defensive strategies and being focused on beating the other state technologically, the USSR and the US innovated at fantastic rates.

Agricultural Revolution

One of the other most prominent and clear examples of the relationship between history and technology is the first agricultural revolution, also referred to as the neolithic revolution. By creating the tools necessary for agricultural production, humans could move forward from foraging and hunting and become settlers in larger groups. During this time period, humanity started to create settlements since farming required commitment to a particular piece of land for several years. Therefore, this technological advancement caused a vital turn in the history of humankind, creating the conditions necessary for society as we know it today. Many hundreds and thousands of years later, humanity would create other technologies that would allow it to lead the urban life that many leads today. However, the beginning of that lifestyle sprouted when the ancestors of the current humans decided to stop leaving the feeding of their families up to chance and take matters into their own hands using agriculture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, human history and technology have been closely tied throughout their existence. It is difficult to determine whether it is the flow of history that affects technology, or the other way around, as in reality, they affect each other. The market pulls on the technological sector to create what the consumer demands and the technological push from newly created technology opens doors for new consumer patterns and behaviors. Whenever there are significant technological advances, there are societal changes that come with it, such as globalization due to improved instant communication and more reliable and faster modes of travel. On the other hand, whenever there is a demand for improved technology due to the evolved lifestyles, innovations are made accordingly, such as the creation of mechanical clocks for church services. Technology is essential for the development of humanity, and it is difficult even to imagine what the next technological revolution will entail.

Works Cited

Gregersen, Erik. “History of Technology Timeline.”Britannica, n.d, Web.

Headrick, Daniel R. Technology : A World History. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Click Here To Order Now!