Historical Developments in Unit 9.1 - Advances in Technology and Exchange After 1900

• New modes of communication--including radio communication, cellular communication, and the internet--as well as transportation, including air travel and shipping containers, reduced the problem of geographic distance.

• Energy technologies, including the use of petroleum and nuclear power, raised productivity and increased the production of material goods.

• More effective forms of birth control gave women greater control over fertility, transformed reproductive practices, and contributed to declining rates of fertility in much of the world.

• The Green Revolution and commercial agriculture increased productivity and sustained the earth's growing population as it spread chemically and genetically modified forms of agriculture.

• Medical innovations, including vaccines and antibiotics, increased the ability of humans to survive and live longer lives.

Additional Resources 9.1