Innovations that Changed European Lifestyle in the 20th Century
Throughout the entire world, change is often inevitable, and different societies have witnessed change in dissimilar capacities over the course of time. Particularly, Europe has undergone several changes over the course of the twentieth century due to a number of innovations. These changes have been experienced in technology, economics, politics, and most of all, in the social arena. The changes have affected their lives of Europeans through total transformation or modification in several ways. In most instances, these changes have been driven by the need to increase production in a bid to improve the economic conditions while in some instances; the changes have been driven by the need to have more convenience in doing different things. The resultant effect of these breakthroughs came in varying capacities such as immediate change while others laid the groundwork for important developments for the future. These innovations ranged from pioneering inventions and political advancements to bold scientific and medical advancements.
The adoption of the steam engine as the primary source of power marked the onset of the Industrial revolution, and it revolutionized the process of production in industries such as textiles, agriculture, and transportation (Young, 2005, p. 29). Initially, the most important source of power in the industries was muscular strength that was at times supplemented with water and wind. Even though these sources of energy did get the job done, they were still somehow slow, thus making them inefficient. When the steam engine was innovated, there was an increasing demand for machinery, coal, and iron that necessitated the need for transport and the associated infrastructure such as roads and railways. This is because more work could be done much faster and with a lot of ease. As a result of this, the Europeans witnessed an increase in production, particularly agriculture that boosted the amount of food harvested, and this paved way for industrial development in this region. This industrial development, courtesy of the steam engine, made primary necessities of life such as the nutrition, clothing, housing, and medical care easily accessible in various capacities.
Similarly, following the Second World War, the revolutionary changes in agriculture created an interest in the development and cultivation of new, high yield hybrid crop varieties. Due to the generated interest in increased production and a better lifestyle that was primarily very healthy, the Europeans focused on creating variety because they had the means to do so. Increase in the production of food meant that there had to be variety to supply the growing population, and therefore, the European’s approach to living their lives changed.
There were different modes of communication during the European late Nineteenth century wars, and the electric telegraph played an important role in communication among government officials. When it comes to understanding the role of technology in the society, the political arena serves as an important area for understanding technological progress. The military and the government use of the telegraph were dominant with the introduction of the technology during the mid-century. The telegraph in Europe evolved from the identification of a specific problem, which was the fact that the military wanted to improve control over its communication ability to gain strategic advantage during war. During wars, the Europeans employed the use of telegraph by attacking the opponent’s side of communication (Sterling, 2008, p. 142). Germany used both the military and civil telegraph systems during wars as this enhanced coordination among those who were involved. The use of wireless communication developed out of the need to bring about convenience during wars.
Kieve states that most of the European countries have the telegraph system run by a state monopoly, almost from the beginning. It was considered a critical part of the military and political system such that there were no important lines constructed by the private enterprise. In France, the first telegraph the government for its own use in 1845 constructed line, though later on public use was allowed in 1850. This led to a situation whereby the French culture was attuned to the control of information from a military perspective (Lubrano, 2013, p. 99). They were used to a culture whereby information was controlled because the government would use the communication lines for military purposes. There emerged several bureaucracies because of the strict measures to control the flow of information across different sectors.
This is the most known invention from the Renaissance up until now. It is a machine that speedily makes several copies of the same book, newspaper or even a picture. Before its invention, books had to be copied by hand, and this took a lot of time. The printing press was invented in China, but come 1440s, Gutenberg, a German, built the first printing press in Europe.
The printer used a large wooden screw to press paper onto the image that was supposed to be printed. The invention of the printing press in Europe, which was later coupled with the advancements in transportation, began the steady movement towards the democratization of knowledge, making any type of information available to all who could read.
The printing press was particularly influential in religion since it created the possibility of spreading the word of God. The ability to print information meant that there was less bondage to Rome, and the Germans also believed that it was a miracle that was meant to increase the spread of the gospel. The Europeans became thirsty for knowledge because they had the opportunity to advance their ideas, thereby creating a reading culture. Through the art of printing, the reading culture allowed for the spread of knowledge so that the common people became familiar with their rights and liberties so that they could not be governed by oppression. Information was perceived to be a source of power and people would constantly be on the lookout for more information about anything going on in the society. The fact that it allowed for the spread of knowledge meant that the Europeans had developed a religious culture. This can be seen in the sense that it was an important pre-condition for the Protestant Reformation taken as a whole (Eisenstein, 2012, p. 171).
Further, with the improvement on the initial type of printer, there were more books being printed, and this made books affordable for the lower classes. It also facilitated the spread of new ideas across the divide. Technology of the press was the driving factor that moved Europe to having knowledge preserved by print, instead of a manuscript, and this made knowledge permanent for the coming generations.
The discovery of gunpowder, the emergence of firearms, and their mass application during military wars was regarded as one of the most significant developments of the twentieth century. Gunpowder was a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter, and it was first made in China (Agoston, 2004). With time, the gunpowder had reached Europe, and it was being used in wars. The use of guns and firearms on a massive scale in battles, sieges, and the navies significantly changed the way states and the empires waged wars. In the process of embracing the new advancements in war, the military had to remain organized such that the states needed cannons and cannon-proof fortifications to increase organization during wars, as this was a priority for the military (Agoston, 2004, p. 2). There were organized wars between the states and the empires, and different states had to design their own weaponry industries to supply the necessary ammunition whenever the need arose. Organized violence between the empires and the states meant geographical exploration and overseas expansion, creating a culture of unprecedented arms race. At the time, effective inter-state rivalry meant that the monarchs had to create their indigenous weapon industry or supply the required weapons. Eventually, the steady and adequate supply of weaponry came across as a priority as compared to technological or tactical advantages (Agoston, 2004, p. 2). This meant that the superiority of the weapons used would have been an important indicator as to whether they would win the battle or not.
It was used in cars during the 1890s, but come the 1900s, the number of cars remained within the 10,000 ranges. The greatest development for the combustion engine to be perceived as a commodity for mass consumption was achieved in the Second World War in Europe. With the invention of the steam engine, there was increased movement, and this necessitated the need to have more vehicles. They would be used for pumping water from the mines and in textile industries. The steam power could be applied to spinning and weaving cotton, and with time, there were a lot of cotton mills that were spreading through Europe since they could be located anywhere. With such an invention, there was an increased boost of the cotton textile production because the demand had risen. This provided employment opportunities in different ways, thereby raising the living standards of those concerned. The invention of the steam engine led to the invention of the railroad. Then, there was the invention of the steamboats and later on, the steamships that traveled across the oceans and reduced the time spent in travelling. The steam engine spurred the need to seek for convenience when it comes to transport as well as industrial growth.
The various inventions that have been witnessed over time have transformed the way the Europeans lived in different ways. The innovations were driven by economical needs, but even when this was the case, they paved way for other changes that were experienced in the industry. Some of them were social while others were political. Some of the innovation included the steam engine, the telegraph, the Gutenberg’s printing press, gunpowder, and the combustion engine. However, the biggest invention that managed to initiate most of the changes is the invention of the steam engine that paved way for development of different automobiles and machineries, and this significantly affected the social life of Europeans.

References
Ágoston, G. (2004). Guns for the sultan: Military power and the weapons industry in the Ottoman Empire. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Eisenstein, E. (2012). Printing revolution in early modern Europe. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Lubrano, A. (2013). Telegraph: How Technology Innovation Caused Social Change. New York, NY: Routledge.
Sterling, C. H. (2008). Military communications: From ancient times to the 21st century. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-CLIO.