View source for Technological revolution

{{short description|Period of rapid technological change}}
{{For|the event sometimes called the Technological Revolution|Second Industrial Revolution}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2022}}{{History of technology sidebar}}
[[File:Axe of iron from Swedish Iron Age, found at Gotland, Sweden.jpg|thumb|upright|An [[axe]] made of iron, dating from the Swedish [[Iron Age]], found at [[Gotland Island|Gotland]], [[Sweden]]: Iron—as a new material—initiated a dramatic revolution in technology, economy, society, warfare and politics.]]

A '''technological revolution''' is a period in which one or more [[technology|technologies]] is replaced by another novel technology in a short amount of time. It is a time of accelerated [[technological progress]] characterized by [[innovation]]s whose rapid [[wikt:application|application]] and [[diffusion]] typically cause an abrupt change in society.

==Description==
[[File:Mule-jenny.jpg|thumb|The [[Spinning Jenny]] and [[Spinning Mule]] (shown) greatly increased the productivity of thread manufacturing compared to the [[spinning wheel]].]]
[[File:Maquina vapor Watt ETSIIM.jpg|thumb|A [[Watt steam engine]]—the [[steam engine]], fuelled primarily by [[coal]], propelled the Industrial Revolution in [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]] and the world.]]
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F077948-0006, Jugend-Computerschule mit IBM-PC.jpg|thumb|[[IBM Personal Computer XT]] in 1988—the PC was an invention that dramatically changed not only professional life, but personal life as well.]]
A technological revolution may involve material or ideological changes caused by the introduction of a device or system. It may potentially impact business management, education, social interactions, finance and research methodology, and is not limited to technical aspects. It has been shown to increase [[productivity]] and [[efficiency]]. A technological revolution often significantly changes the material conditions of human existence and has been seen to reshape culture.<ref>Klein, Maury (2008): ''The Technological Revolution, in The Newsletter of Foreign Policy Research Institute, Vol.13, No. 18.'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20230610171752/https://www.fpri.org/article/2008/07/the-technological-revolution/]</ref>

<blockquote>A technological revolution can be distinguished from a random collection of [[Technology|technology systems]] by two features:

1. A strong interconnectedness and interdependence of the participating systems in their technologies and markets.

2. A potential capacity to greatly affect the rest of the economy (and eventually society).<ref>Perez, Carlota (2009):'' Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms.'',  in Working Papers in Technology Governance and Economic Dynamics, Working Paper No. 20, (Norway and Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn) [http://carlotaperez.org/papers/PerezTRsTEPsTUTWP20.pdf]</ref></blockquote>

On the other hand, negative consequences have also been attributed to technological revolutions. For example, the use of [[coal]] as an [[Energy development|energy source]] have negative environmental impacts, including being a contributing factor to [[climate change]] and the increase of [[greenhouse gas]]es<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Akpan |first=Usenobong Friday |last2=Akpan |first2=Godwin Effiong |date=2012-03-01 |title=The Contribution of Energy Consumption to Climate Change: A Feasible Policy Direction |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijeeep/issue/31899/350661 |journal=International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=21–33 |issn=2146-4553}}</ref> in the atmosphere, and have caused [[technological unemployment]]. [[Joseph Schumpeter]] described this contradictory nature of technological revolution as [[creative destruction]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital|last=Perez|first=Carlota|date=2002|publisher=Edward Elgar Publishing|doi=10.4337/9781781005323|isbn=978-1-78100-532-3}}</ref> The concept of technological revolution is based on the idea that [[technological progress]] is not [[linear]] but [[Undulatory locomotion|undulatory]]. Technological revolution can be:
* Relation revolution{{neologism inline|date=October 2022}} (social relations{{clarify|date=October 2022}}, phones)
* Sectoral (more technological changes in one sector, e.g. [[Green Revolution]] and [[Commercial Revolution]])
* Universal (interconnected radical changes in more than one sector, the universal technological revolution can be seen as a complex of several parallel sectoral technological revolutions, e.g. [[Second Industrial Revolution]] and [[Renaissance technology|Renaissance technological revolution]])

The concept of universal technological revolutions is a "contributing factor in the [[Neo-Schumpeterian economics|Neo-Schumpeterian]] theory of long economic waves/cycles",<ref>, for example, Perez, Carlota (2009):'' Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms.'',  in Working Papers in Technology Governance and Economic Dynamics, Working Paper No. 20, (Norway and Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn) [http://carlotaperez.org/papers/and/scissors/PerezTRsTEPsTUTWP20.pdf]</ref> according to [[Carlota Perez]], [[Tessaleno Devezas]], Daniel Šmihula and others.

==History==
Some examples of technological revolutions were the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the 19th century, the [[Information revolution|scientific-technical revolution]] about 1950–1960, the [[Neolithic Revolution]], and the [[Digital Revolution]]. The distinction between universal technological revolution and singular revolutions have been debated. One universal technological revolution may be composed of several sectoral technological revolutions (such as in [[science]], [[Industrial Revolution|industry]], or [[transport]]).

There are several universal technological revolutions during the [[modern era]] in [[Western culture]]:<ref>based on: Šmihula, Daniel (2011): ''Long waves of technological innovations, Studia politica Slovaca, 2/2011, Bratislava, {{ISSN|1337-8163}}, pp. 50-69. [http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=1694cf40-a011-408f-81f1-ccbf49d05813&articleId=bf83511f-24cb-4906-acc4-824e6374ec20]''</ref>
# Financial-agricultural revolution (1600–1740)
# [[Industrial Revolution]] (1760–1840)
# Technical Revolution or [[Second Industrial Revolution]] (1870–1920)
# Scientific-technical revolution (1940–1970) 
# Information and telecommunications revolution, also known as the [[Digital Revolution]] or Third Industrial Revolution (1975–2021)
# Some say we’re on the brink of a Fourth Industrial Revolution, aka “The Intelligence Revolution” (2022- )

Comparable periods of well-defined technological revolutions in the [[pre-modern era]] are seen as highly speculative.<ref>for example: Drucker, Peter F. (1965):'' The First Technological Revolution and Its Lessons.'' [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~DRBR/d_rucker5.html]</ref> One such example is an attempt by Daniel Šmihulato to suggest a timeline of technological revolutions in pre-modern [[Europe]]:<ref>Šmihula, Daniel (2011): [http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/issuedetails.aspx?issueid=1694cf40-a011-408f-81f1-ccbf49d05813&articleId=bf83511f-24cb-4906-acc4-824e6374ec20 ''Long waves of technological innovations''], Studia Politica Slovaca, 2/2011, Bratislava, {{ISSN|1337-8163}}, pp. 50-69</ref>
# Indo-European technological revolution (1900–1100 BC) 
# Celtic and Greek technological revolution (700–200 BC)
# Germano-Slavic technological revolution (300–700 AD)
# Medieval technological revolution (930–1200 AD)
# Renaissance technological revolution (1340–1470 AD)

== Structure of technological revolution ==
Each revolution comprises the following engines for growth:

* New cheap inputs
* New products
* New processes
Technological [[revolution]]s has historically been seen to focus on cost reduction. For instance, the accessbility of coal at a low cost during the [[Industrial Revolution]] allowed for [[Steam engine|iron steam engines]] which led to production of [[Railways|Iron railways]], and the progression of the [[internet]] was contributed by inexpensive [[microelectronics]] for [[computer]] development.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} A combination of low-cost input and new [[infrastructure]]s are at the core of each revolution to achieve their all pervasive impact.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Perez|first=C.|date=2010-01-01|title=Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms|journal=Cambridge Journal of Economics|language=en|volume=34|issue=1|pages=185–202|doi=10.1093/cje/bep051|issn=0309-166X|url=http://hum.ttu.ee/wp/paper20.pdf}}</ref>

==Potential future technological revolutions==
{{further|Emerging technologies|Fourth Industrial Revolution}}
Since 2000, there has been speculations of a new technological revolution which would focus on the fields of [[Nanotechnology|nanotechnologies]], [[alternative energy|alternative fuel and energy systems]], [[biotechnology|biotechnologies]], [[genetic engineering]], new [[Materials science|materials]] technologies and so on.<ref>Philip S. Anton,  Richard Silberglitt, James Schneider (2001): [https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1307.pdf ''The Global Technology Revolution - Bio/Nano/Materials Trends and Their Synergies with Information Technology by 2015.''], RAND, {{ISBN|0-8330-2949-5}}</ref>

''[[The Second Machine Age]]'' is the term adopted in a 2014 book by [[Erik Brynjolfsson]] and [[Andrew McAfee]]. The industrial development plan of [[Germany]] began promoting the term [[Industry 4.0]]. In 2019, at the [[World Economic Forum]] meeting in [[Davos]], Japan promoted another round of advancements called [[Society 5.0]].<ref>[https://www.japan.go.jp/abenomics/_userdata/abenomics/pdf/society_5.0.pdf Realizing Society 5.0] (promotional paper for Japan)</ref><ref>[https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/modern-society-has-reached-its-limits-society-5-0-will-liberate-us/ Modern society has reached its limits. Society 5.0 will liberate us] (promotional article for Japan)</ref>

The phrase '''Fourth Industrial Revolution''' was first introduced by [[Klaus Schwab]], the executive chairman of the [[World Economic Forum]], in a 2015 article in ''[[Foreign Affairs]].''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2015-12-12/fourth-industrial-revolution/ |title=The Fourth Industrial Revolution|last=Schwab|first=Klaus|date=2015-12-12|access-date=2019-01-15}}</ref> Following the publication of the article, the theme of the [[World Economic Forum#Annual meeting in Davos|World Economic Forum Annual Meeting]] 2016 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland was "Mastering the Fourth Industrial Revolution". On October 10, 2016, the Forum announced the opening of its Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in [[San Francisco]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/press/2016/10/new-forum-center-to-advance-global-cooperation-on-fourth-industrial-revolution/|title=New Forum Center to Advance Global Cooperation on Fourth Industrial Revolution|date=October 10, 2016|access-date=October 15, 2018}}</ref> According to Schwab, fourth era technologies includes technologies that combine hardware, [[software]], and [[biology]] ([[cyber-physical system]]s),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/|title=The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means and how to respond|website=World Economic Forum|access-date=2018-03-20}}</ref> and which will put an emphases on advances in [[Communication protocol|communication]] and [[Connectivity (media)|connectivity]]. Schwab expects this era to be marked by breakthroughs in emerging technologies in fields such as [[robotics]], [[artificial intelligence]], [[nanotechnology]], [[quantum computing]], [[biotechnology]], the [[internet of things]], the [[Industrial internet of things|industrial internet of things (IIoT)]], [[decentralized]] consensus, [[5G|fifth-generation wireless technologies (5G)]], [[3D printing]] and [[autonomous vehicles|fully autonomous vehicles]].<ref>
{{cite web
|last1= Schwab|first1= Klaus
|title= The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond
|url= https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
|website= World Economic Forum|access-date = 2017-06-29
|quote= The possibilities of billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge, are unlimited. And these possibilities will be multiplied by emerging technology breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, biotechnology, materials science, energy storage, and quantum computing.
}}
</ref>

[[Jeremy Rifkin]] includes technologies like [[5G]], autonomous vehicles, [[Internet of things|Internet of Things]], and [[renewable energy]] in the Third Industrial Revolution.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World |author=Jeremy Rifkin |year=2011}}</ref>

Some economists do not think that technological growth will continue to the same degree it has in the past. [[Robert J. Gordon]] holds the view that today's [[invention]]s are not as radical as [[electricity]] and the [[internal combustion engine]] were. He believes that modern technology is not as innovative as others claim, and is far from creating a revolution.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Banerjee |first1=Abhijit |title=Good Economics for Hard Times |date=2019 |publisher=Public Affairs |pages=161–162 |url=https://gdsnet.org/BanerjeeandDufloGoodEconomicsforHardtimes2019.pdf}}</ref>

==List of intellectual, philosophical and technological revolutions==
[[File:PPF expansion.svg|thumb|right|Technological revolution can cause the [[production-possibility frontier]] to shift outward and initiate economic growth.]]
;Pre-Industrialization
* The [[Upper Paleolithic Revolution]]: the emergence of "high culture"{{explain|date=September 2023}}, new technologies and regionally distinct cultures (50,000–40,000 years ago).
* The [[Neolithic Revolution]] (around 13,000 years ago), which formed the basis for human civilization to develop.
* The [[Renaissance technology|Renaissance technological revolution]]: the set of inventions during the Renaissance period, roughly the 14th through the 16th century.
* The [[Commercial Revolution]]: a period of European economic expansion, [[colonialism]] and [[mercantilism]] which lasted from approximately the 16th century until the early 18th century.
* The [[Price revolution|Price Revolution]]: a series of [[Economy|economic]] events from the second half of the 15th century to the first half of the 17th, the price revolution refers most specifically to the high rate of [[inflation]] that characterized the period across [[Western Europe]].
* The [[Scientific Revolution]]: a fundamental transformation in scientific ideas around the 16th century.
* The [[British Agricultural Revolution]] (18th century), which spurred urbanization and consequently helped launch the [[Industrial Revolution]].

;Industrialization
* The [[Industrial Revolution|First Industrial Revolution]]: the shift of technological, socioeconomic and cultural conditions in the late 18th century and early 19th century that began in Britain and spread throughout the world.
** The [[Market Revolution]]: a change in the manual labour system originating in the [[Southern United States]] (and soon moving to the [[Northern United States]]) and later spreading to the entire world (about 1800–1900).
* The [[Second Industrial Revolution]] (1871–1914).
* The [[Green Revolution]] (1945–1975): the use of industrial [[fertilizer]]s and new crops largely increased the world's agricultural output.
* The [[Digital Revolution|Third Industrial Revolution]]: the changes brought about by [[computing]] and [[communication technology]], starting from around 1950 with the creation of the first general-purpose [[electronic computer]]s.
* The [[Information revolution|Information Revolution]]: the economic, [[social]] and technological changes resulting from the Digital Revolution (after 1960){{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}.

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Accelerating change]]
* [[Automation]]
* [[Electrification]]
* [[Kondratiev wave]]
* [[Kranzberg's laws of technology]]
* [[List of emerging technologies]]
* [[Mass production]]
* [[Machine tool]]
* [[Mechanization]]
* [[Post-work society]]
* [[Productivity-improving technologies]]
* [[Innovation]]
* [[Technological change]]
* [[Technological unemployment]]
* [[The War on Normal People]]
* [[The Future of Work and Death]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Clear}}
{{Industrial Revolution}}
{{History of technology}}
{{Science and technology studies}}
{{Population}}

[[Category:History of technology|Revolution]]
[[Category:Revolutions by type|Revolution]]
[[Category:Technological change|Revolution]]
[[Category:Stages of history]]
[[Category:Science and technology studies|Revolution]]