Technological Innovation
What are the main reasons governments choose to nationalize technological innovations?
Governments typically nationalize technology to protect critical infrastructure, secure supply chains, retain vital intellectual property within the country.
What was the primary power source for early Industrial Revolution factories?
Dams and rivers, Early factories were built next to fast-flowing rivers to turn water wheels for power.
What is cotton gin?
This invention by Eli Whitney separated seeds from cotton fibers much faster than doing it by hand.
How did the invention of the steam locomotive change how factories sourced raw materials and distributed finished goods?
They allowed fast, cheap, land-based transport of heavy materials and finished goods to distant markets.
What new social classes were developed?
The industrial middle class and the urban working class.
What is the difference between nationalization and a National System of Innovation (NSI)?
While nationalization involves the state taking ownership or direct control over private entities or their assets.
How did the Factory System directly contribute to the growth of the middle class?
It made new jobs, which gave the other middle class the opportunity to become rich.
What is the railroad? (Accept: trains)
This major transportation system used steam locomotives to move goods and people quickly across the country.
Why was the electrical telegraph vital for European nations maintaining control over their overseas empires during the Industrial Era?
It allowed governments to communicate instantly with colonies to manage trade and quickly deploy troops.
Who is one of the largest contributors to the economic shift?
John D Rockefeller and his Standard Oil company.
What are the primary economic and operational risks associated with this policy?
Nationalization often stifles the very creativity and agility that drives tech breakthroughs. By removing free-market competition.
How did governments eventually respond to the widespread abuse of child labor in 19th-century factories?
By passing regulatory laws which limited work hours for children and minimum age requirements.
What is urbanization?
This term describes the rapid growth of cities as millions of people moved from rural farms to find factory jobs.
In what way did the transition from wooden sailing ships to iron-hulled steamships impact global population movements in the 19th century?
Travel became faster, safer, and cheaper, enabling millions of workers to migrate globally for factory jobs.
How did family dynamics change?
Women started taking more active roles in the household, while men and children separated into factory work rather than working as a family in agriculture units.
How does technological nationalism differ from general nationalization?
Technological nationalism is a broader geopolitical shift. Instead of the state seizing physical companies.
Which specific machine allowed factories to move away from rivers and into major cities?
The steam engine turned coal into energy which allowed factories to move away from rivers.
What are children? (Accept: child labor)
Because they could be paid less and were small enough to fit into tight factory spaces, this group of young workers was highly exploited.
How did the construction of man-made waterways like the Suez Canal alter global trade routes?
They connected major oceans, cutting thousands of miles off voyages to slash shipping times and costs.
Which factories were the largest and what age demographic did it affect?
Textile factories were one of the largest offenders of child abuse and labor.
What is the impact of nationalizing innovation on the global tech ecosystem?
It often leads to the "fragmentation" or "balkanization" of technology.
How did the Factory System alter living conditions.
By pollution and destruction near homes, it prevented workers from sleeping.
What is the lightbulb?
Thomas Edison patented this 1879 invention, which allowed factories to stay open and operate safely long after dark.
Why did the expansions of the railway industry force society to move away from “sun time” and adopt standardized time zones?
To prevent chaotic, dangerous train schedules, forcing society to live by strict, uniform clock time.
What did the work conditions of factories affect society?
It gave birth to the labor unions and the equal working conditions.