The Second Industrial Revolution and International Relations

The Second Industrial Revolution and International Relations

Thru-out the last century, technical innovations have enabled people to live better and more productive lives. Humans have evolved thru time, and as we have evolved, so must or technology. Things would be quite difficult in 2012 if we were still relying on the technology from 1812. Innovation is part of the human spirit but is often oppressed due to the political situations one may be under. Edward Gibbon (n.d.), an English historian of Rome said it best with one of his famous quotes;

“All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance”

Today, business is conducted on a global scale. Innovation keeps global international relations going forward and not backwards.

Communication is very important in any society. Without communication, both knowledge and prosperity lack. The invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell on March 10, 1876 changed everything in the communications world. People could now pick up the telephone and communicate with other individuals across the street or across town. In the 1880’s metallic circuit technology allowed for long distance calling.

In 1927, the first transatlantic call was made, this proved to be a major leap in international relations. No longer was mail the only way to communicate across continents. The implementation of the Moscow-Washington hotline is a perfect example on how international relations improve through the use of this type of communication. The so called “Red Phone” helped to avoid nuclear disaster according to; (Nashua Telegraph.com, 2011).

The recent events of the Cuban Missile Crisis had made it clear that the U.S. and the Soviet Union required a faster, more reliable way to commun...

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...e about international politics as they constitute a ‘window to the world’. The invention of film has impacted the global community with the knowledge of other cultures, and the ability to understand how other live.

There have been thousands of technical innovations, but not all have had an impact on international relations. The innovations that have impacted international relations have provided the human race with a safe and reliable means to conduct their everyday lives. From the telephone to the invention of film, the lives of people have improved and continue to improve as these technologies advance. The world is full of innovators, I believe that Peter F. Drucker (2006) best summed the idea of innovation;

"The enterprise that does not innovate inevitably ages and declines. And in a period of rapid change such as the present…the decline will be fast.