Ch. 36 Q & A
AP World History
1.What are the varieties of prognostication for
the future? Which do you find the most
meaningful? What sort of future do you
foresee?
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Open for discussion
2. In what sense can it be said that the 20th
century represents a new period in world
civilizations?
 Criteria established throughout the text
 Parallel developments in major civilizations (new
technologies, new political forms, tendency
toward cultural secularizations)
 Reshuffling of political boundaries
(decolonization, loosening of Western
geopolitical dominance)
 Intensification of international contacts (more
extensive trade, worldwide alliance systems,
cultural exchanges).
3. What trends in political organization and
economic development can be identified in
20th-century world civilizations?
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Political organization seems to favor continued
dominance of democratic parliamentarianism, well
established in industrialized countries; successful attacks
on authoritarian forms of government in Philippines,
Korea, many African states, Indonesia, and throughout
Latin America
It is unclear if new democracies are firmly rooted.
Economic trends based on industrialization; gaps
remain wide based on level of industrialization and
sophistication of technology
Created immigration, impact on family, urbanization.
4. In what ways has the 20th century offered
evidence of human progress? In what ways
has humanity regressed?
 Progress: advances in technological sophistication and
scientific knowledge allow ability to manage human and
natural environment with better means of preserving
health and improving life expectancy, increased
education, improvement in status of women and
treatment of children, abolition of slavery.
 Regression: technologies applied to war allowed
greater destructive capability, intensifying regional
conflicts and small wars, spread of armament sales,
including nuclear weapons, increasing intolerance in
societies such as the Middle East and India.
5. The authors postulate several potential causal
factors impacting civilization in the future,
including population growth, the exhaustion of
frontiers, and technological advances associated
with the “post-industrial world.” Evaluate the
impact such factors are likely to have on the future.
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In the 1960s and l970s, there was widespread concern
that population growth would outstrip production of
food and resources and lead to environmental
disaster and warfare
Drop in birth rates caused this problem to be
discounted by the 1990s, although birth rates remain
dangerously high
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End of “frontiers” means greater potential for friction,
seen now in hostility toward immigrants; no more
population migrations possible, leading to potential
conflict over space.
Technological developments (computers, genetic
engineering, robotics) linked to creation of “postindustrial society”
Most typical of advanced industrial states; led to
service-oriented economy with machines performing
most industrial tasks and much of agricultural
production as well
Fosters a generally optimistic view of industrialized
society, though critics emphasize increase in inequalities
in world economy
Others argue that technological transformations are not
fundamental but merely reinforce existing trends.
6. Consider the role of traditional civilization
identity versus the pace of internationalization
in 20th-century cultures.
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Various cultures continue to emphasize traditions that are specific
and traditional
Identification may be through traditional religions (Islam, Hinduism)
Ethnic identification, as with Slavic groups in former Yugoslavia or
among French-speaking population in Quebec
Or simply cultural patterns such as centralized state and bureaucratic
intervention in China; end of cold war has accentuated regional
separations. Despite retained individuality, some forces continue to
accelerate internationalization: difficulty of isolation, speed of
transportation and
Communication, world trade, development of international scientific
community
International artistic styles, popularity of Western fashions, fads, and
sports such as soccer.