Lesson Purpose
The Modern Revolution created the world we live in today. This world is very different from the world of 500 or 1,000 years ago, let alone 10,000 or 100,000 years ago. The connection of the four world zones allowed for the creation of a global network of exchange. Though this network was not built overnight, it emerged fairly quickly, and it increased the potential connections and diversity of connections for many members of the network. The result was an acceleration of both collective learning and innovation.
Commerce was an important driver of change in this global network. Because commerce began to take on greater significance for many societies, a number of important thinkers began to ask questions about the nature of the exchange of goods, the nature of productivity and efficiency, and the interests of the individual and the state in business. All of this new inquiry gave birth to the discipline of economics. These economic thinkers, like the thinkers in any discipline, shared a set of concerns and questions but often came up with very different answers to those questions. The articulation of the ideas of capitalism and communism were the most influential economic ideas generated in the course of the Modern Revolution.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To describe accelerating global change and the factors that describe it; 2.) To describe how economies have developed and changed since the Industrial Revolution.
Commerce was an important driver of change in this global network. Because commerce began to take on greater significance for many societies, a number of important thinkers began to ask questions about the nature of the exchange of goods, the nature of productivity and efficiency, and the interests of the individual and the state in business. All of this new inquiry gave birth to the discipline of economics. These economic thinkers, like the thinkers in any discipline, shared a set of concerns and questions but often came up with very different answers to those questions. The articulation of the ideas of capitalism and communism were the most influential economic ideas generated in the course of the Modern Revolution.
The outcomes of this lesson are: 1.) To describe accelerating global change and the factors that describe it; 2.) To describe how economies have developed and changed since the Industrial Revolution.
Activity 1 - The Driving Question Notebook
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Activity Objectives
You will revisit the unit driving question so that you stay focused on one of the key themes of the unit. Activity Tasks
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Activity 2 - "Collective Learning Part 4"
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Activity Objectives
Like so many other features of the modern world, collective learning has also undergone a rapid acceleration. In this reading, you will consider the reasons why people in different parts of the world have not benefitted equally from the tremendous growth in collective learning. This will help you understand how some inequities have developed around the world as part of the social and moral implications of acceleration. Activity Tasks
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Activity 3 - A Big History of Everything: H2
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Activity Objectives
1:07:13-1:14:31. This video clip provides you with a short review of the major changes that occurred from the connection of the four world zones to the modern era. These connections are extremely important in understanding the Modern Revolution, and how industrialization and acceleration led to a transformation in how humans used energy and how that transformed economies. Activity Tasks
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Activity 4 - "Smith, Marx, and Keynes"
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Activity Objectives
In this article, you will be introduced to the study of economics and the ideas of three important economists from the modern era: Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. This article will help you understand economics, which is important for understanding global exchange networks, as well as the questions that economists are interested in. This article also provides another disciplinary perspective on historical thinking and the questions we can ask about past events. Activity Tasks
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Activity 5 - This Threshold Today
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Activity Objectives
Threshold 8 is both fascinating and timely because discoveries and exciting new innovations are being announced all the time. You are living in this threshold, and the research that you do in this activity will help reinforce that fact. Activity Tasks
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Investigation 9 - To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?
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Investigation Objectives
This investigation asks you to use the documents in the Investigation Library and your understanding of the Modern Revolution to weigh its impact. We have provided you with a table to help you analyse the evidence and make up your mind. You will be able to use the table, your notes, and the documents in the Investigation Library to write a four- to five-paragraph essay showing what you think about the impact of the Modern Revolution. Investigation Tasks You will write a 4-5 paragraph essay on the question: 'To what extent has the Modern Revolution been a positive or a negative force?', using evidence about changes in population, governments, health, innovations, and literacy as your case studies. Complete the following steps to finish your investigation:
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Challenge Yourself! - Optional Activities
1. A snapshot of the rapidly changing world of computing, communications, and technology.
2. Literacy is the ability to read and write. See the difference in literacy rates throughout the world.
3. Project Gutenberg is a digital collection of free ebooks that carries on the legacy of the influential fifteenth-century German printer Johannes Gutenberg. In 1493, he revolutionized movable type, which allowed the mass production of printed books and the rapid advancement of collective learning.
4. Smith, Marx and Keynes are considered to be the three greatest and most influential economic thinkers of all time.
2. Literacy is the ability to read and write. See the difference in literacy rates throughout the world.
3. Project Gutenberg is a digital collection of free ebooks that carries on the legacy of the influential fifteenth-century German printer Johannes Gutenberg. In 1493, he revolutionized movable type, which allowed the mass production of printed books and the rapid advancement of collective learning.
4. Smith, Marx and Keynes are considered to be the three greatest and most influential economic thinkers of all time.
