Science and Technology (Making of the Modern World: 1945 to the Present Series)

Since the End of World War II, the world has transformed in profound, far-reaching ways. The dismantling of European empires after the war led to decolonization, and the realignment of WWII allies led to conflict between superpowers. As the Cold War heated up, two ideologies-capitalism and communism-shaped daily life and international affairs. And as it wound down, a tidal wave of globalization paved new avenues for growth but wrought even new sources of conflict-between wealthier and poorer nations, between the Global South and the Global North. The Making of the Modern World: 1945 to the Present offers students an accessible guide to these transformations. In a compelling narrative style, the human story of our planet's most recent history comes to life. This volume, Science and Technology, explores how the advances of World War II led to Cold War competition, and how government-sponsored research helped to send humans to the moon, to harness the atom for good and bad, and to pave the way for the Internet. It also examines how private industry in the West gained from those "Big Science" projects and opened up avenues in biotech and personal computing, among other fields. The last chapters also explore the ethical challenges raised by recent scientific developments, such as genetic engineering and drone technology.