HELP! modern history essay

All right ppl, I'm going to write a history essay. Deadline is 23rd, I think. I have yet to pinpoint my topic but right now, it looks as it will be:

In the twentieth century, technological advances have had both positive and negative effets on society. Support his statement using examles from the history of the period 1919 to 1991.


I need a hand on a eyecatching title, as well as sources for research, layout, and of course, contents.


Generally, I have to support my statments by showing that almost all technoligical advances in the century have had both a peaceful civilian application and a military application.

Right now, here's what I got:

Space/Rockets/Satellites--
Space race, ICBM, satellites, Cuban Missile Crisis, worldwide communication

Media and Communications:
TV, Radio, education, manipulative propaganda(Hitler)

Medical/Chemcial/Biological
Cure for the sick, biological weapon(no anthrax, has to be within 1919-1991)

Transportation/Oil/Energy
easy access worldwide, Gulf War(cause of the oil). Energy development, polution, Japanese expansion in WWII for oil(Pearl Harbour). Nuclear energy, nuclear destruction(Hiroshima)

That's all I have for now, feel free to add anything that I don't have but you think I should.


thanks

Media and Communications:
Internet

Transportation/Oil/Energy
Tsernobyll

Originally posted by cataclysm
manipulative propaganda(Hitler)

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and CNN!

Medicine has seen many huge discoveries - eradication of smallpox, the polio vaccine, organ transplants, etc etc etc. BUT...
some misused drugs resulted in horrid deformities (e.g. thalydimide), gov't covert use of drugs (e.g. CIA/crack)

Chemicals have had vast positive and negative effects -
plastics, fuels, new structural materials, etc, BUT...
chemical warfare began in WW1 (mustard gas), pesticides have destroyed the environment, many plastics release chemical mimics that make vertebrates infertile, insects/germs are now far more resistant to eradication because of overuse

Transportation/oil/energy is often the primary motivation for going to war. Either controlling the actual resource or access to it looms large in world policy. The benefits are clear.

It really depends on the level of education this paper is due for - I'm assuming it's a high school essay based on it's extremely broad topic.

Speaking as someone who's working on his masters in history, you can take this advice or leave it.

You can of course restrict your discussion by showing only the civilian/military applications of various technologies, but I'm not sure that would be the easiest and/or most accurate. For example, nuclear power could be looked at in many more spectrums than simply civilian/military (pollution, danger, easy energy, military applications); this would not only reduce the number of topics you would have to discuss - thus allowing you to concentrate on the biggest ones you listed (energy, medicine, space race, communications) but would allow you to eliminate the sub-topics that had much less impact (Gulf War and Cuban Missile Crisis for example - these really played very little role in the world outside being events that are easily remembered). Actually, as a marker, I would probably mark against a freshman that used these small events in their paper (it shows a lack of understanding in history to argue these as significant points).

Gotta run, I'll check this topic later.

Originally posted by Reibisch
It really depends on the level of education this paper is due for - I'm assuming it's a high school essay based on it's extremely broad topic.

Speaking as someone who's working on his masters in history, you can take this advice or leave it.

You can of course restrict your discussion by showing only the civilian/military applications of various technologies, but I'm not sure that would be the easiest and/or most accurate. For example, nuclear power could be looked at in many more spectrums than simply civilian/military (pollution, danger, easy energy, military applications); this would not only reduce the number of topics you would have to discuss - thus allowing you to concentrate on the biggest ones you listed (energy, medicine, space race, communications) but would allow you to eliminate the sub-topics that had much less impact (Gulf War and Cuban Missile Crisis for example - these really played very little role in the world outside being events that are easily remembered). Actually, as a marker, I would probably mark against a freshman that used these small events in their paper (it shows a lack of understanding in history to argue these as significant points).

Gotta run, I'll check this topic later.

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Of course, thanks. My insturction paper actually says something about explain in turns of civilian/military application. I will surely focus only on that

However, I think Gulf War is about control of oil and it connects with transportation that is vital for any part of the world
and Cuban Missiles Crisis is development of rockery(ICBM(military), Space race(civilian)).

Of course there are other aspects like political stuff behind this event but I will only touch the resource/technological part of it, is that OK?

medicine is the civilian application of biology advancement. Biological warfare is the military application. Is there any notorious use biological weapon between 1919-1991(can't be anthax because of the date)? All I could think of at the moment is Japanese soliders used civilian from Asian countries to develop killing bacterias. Germ war, Team 711, or something like that... can't remember

Chemical overuse...... gotta include that one.

and remember it has to be between 1919-1991 so no internet
This paper is Grade12 level, 5 pages

thanks to all who replied. I didn't expected I can actually get this level of help from a game forum


I will start my official research tomorrow, right now I got other stuff from other subjects.

I had just been reading materials on the net about war & technology

but I don't know what my thesis and title is going to be.


And the stuff I'm reading so far well explain how war and technology are related. But what I want is how war leads to development and deployment of technology

help?

all right, plan change

topic is now:
Military requirements have been a major force behind technological improvements throughout the twentieth century. Suport this statement using examples from throughout the history of the period 1919 to 1991


title: unsettle
thesis: most modern technology advancement is bound to a militiary application that speed up or gave birth to its existence


focus subjects:

biology and medical advancement: Breakthrou: Nazi inhuman experiment

thermonuclear energy: Hiroshima and Nakasaki, Project Manhatten, H-bomb, China's nuclear weapon development

rocketry: satelite, space race, military development: ICBM, StarWar(stratgic defense initative)

the deadly combo of ICBM and nuclear weapon: Cuba Missile Crisis, Cold War stand off

communication: TV, radio, telephone. Mass communication, hotline, early computer network(in the 70s)

Period: 1919-1991

My essay title is "War has been the great engine of technological change" Discuss this? 1792-1918 (Or something like this). My school's got so little info.

Originally posted by Sodak
Transportation/oil/energy is often the primary motivation for going to war. Either controlling the actual resource or access to it looms large in world policy. The benefits are clear.

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You got that part right, IMO. I have engaged in numerous wars of conquests simply to get that resource which I don't have ..... in Civ3.