Period 6 – Accelerating Global Change and Realignments, c. 1900 CE to present
The 20th century witnessed a great deal of warfare and the collapse of the global economy in the 1930s. In response to these challenges, the role of the state in domestic economies fluctuated, and new institutions of global governance emerged and continued to develop throughout the century. Scientific breakthroughs, new technologies, increasing levels of integration, changing relationships between humans and the environment, and the frequency of political conflict all contributed to global developments in which people crafted new understandings of society, culture, and historical interpretations. Institutions of global governance both shaped and adapted to these social conditions.
Key Concept 6.3.I.E has been added to address the role of technology and communication in state responses to economic change in the 20th century.