Technology Transfer

Analyzing the transfer of technology from one place to another can be a very difficult task. People have tried to trace the origins of specific technologies and map out what cultures it affected, why and what impact the technology had on history. Books have been written on conclusions that authors have made after doing the research I have suggested. I believe that obtaining the information to write a book about this subject is extremely hard and confusing, this is a personal assumption that I have made with regard to the fact that reading a book on this subject is hard and confusing. After reading The Tools of Empire by Daniel R. Headrick and excerpts from both Technology in World Civilization by A. Pacey and Major Problems in the History of American Technology, I have formed some opinions of my own primarily based on my readings about nineteenth and twentieth century technology transfer.

During the nineteenth century two major events stand out in connection to technology. First the progress and power of industrial technology, second the domination and exploitation of Africa and Asia by Europeans. In the book The Tools of Empire, Headrick the author connects theses factors through many examples in history. Leading into the twentieth century even though many would like to fast forward into the dawn of electronics, there is still a major focus on technology in Africa and Asia. However, the transfer of technology is now steering away from dominating and leaning towards local adaptation.

Africa and India experienced a deeper affect of technological transfer because they were conquered and colonized by Europe. The steamboat with its ability to travel up and down river enabled Europeans deep into Africa and Asia. The railroad helped eliminate the difficulties of inland transportation for Europeans in India. The steamboat and the Railroad were two important technologies of the nineteenth century that changed many aspects of life in India and Africa. China’s rulers controlled European influence rather tightly, yet there was trade of course. And through the opium war there was an influence of European technology in China.

In the twentieth century the transfer of technology from industrialized to the less industrialized is still happening. Yet it is happening a slightly different manner instead of being forced upon a nation it is being adapted to and for a nation. In the 1930s the United States made advancements in genetic –chemical technology.