Waubonsee Community College

The power of the machine, the impact of technology from 1700 to the present, R.A. Buchanan

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 270-288) and index

platesillustrations

index present

non fiction

The power of the machine

bibliography

59953786

R.A. Buchanan

the impact of technology from 1700 to the present

By far the most important single factor in world history has been the process of technological revolution whereby small-scale agricultural societies have been transformed into massive industrialized and urbanized communities. This development has occurred over a long period of time, but its greatest thrust has been concentrated over the last two centuries, beginning in the West, in Europe and North America, and then spreading through the rest of the world. The author systematically analyses this process, showing how increasing mastery over sources of power provided increased industrial and agricultural productivity, and created radically new methods of transport and communication. He then examines the impact of these technical achievements on society, paying special attention to the political and ecological consequences of a vastly increased world population, the facilities for rapid transport and instantaneous communication, and the possession of weapons of immense destructive force

pt. 1. Background -- Definitions and Chronology. 1. The Nature of Technology. 2. The Process of Technological Revolution -- pt. 2. Sources of Power. 3. The Ascendancy of Steam Power. 4. Internal Combustion and Electricity -- pt. 3. Applications of Power. 5. The Emergence of the Factory. 6. The Age of Mass Production. 7. Transport before the Railway Age. 8. Transport from Steam Trains to Rockets. 9. Communications and Information Technology. 10. Infrastructure -- Buildings, Bridges and Services -- pt. 4. The Social Context. 11. Technology and People. 12. Technology and the State. 13. The Technological Dilemma. 14. The Way to the Stars