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Thefundamentalchangeinsocialproductivityachievedunderthedecisiveroleofscienceandtechnology.Itpromotesthedevelopmentofsocialproductiveforces,promoteseconomicgrowth,andleadstocorrespondingchangesinproductionrelations.
Sincethemiddleofthe18thcentury,duringthedevelopmentofhumansociety,therehavebeenthreeleapsinsocialproductivityandthreerevolutionsinscienceandtechnology.
ThefirstrevolutioninscienceandtechnologyTheindustrialrevolutionthatoccurredinthemid-18thcenturytothe19thcenturywasthefirstscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionthathumansocietyhasexperiencedsinceitsdevelopmenttothecapitaliststage.Thistechnologicalrevolutionismarkedbytheinventionandapplicationofthesteamengine.
Theinventionofthesteamengineisamilestoneinthehistoryofsocialandeconomicdevelopment.Thesteamenginecanproducepowerthatiscompletelycontrolledbyhumans,anditcanbemoved,unliketheuseofhydraulicpowertoberestrictedbygeographiclocation,soitcanbeuseduniversally,andmodernlarge-scaleindustrycandevelopquickly.Therefore,Engelspointedoutthatthesteamenginewasthefirsttrulyinternationalinvention,which"turnedthehandicraftindustryintoamodernlarge-scaleindustry,therebyrevolutionizingtheentirefoundationofbourgeoissociety"(SelectedWorksofMarxandEngels,Volume3,Page301).In1784,Britain'sfirstspinningmillpoweredbyasteamenginewasbuilt,whichgreatlyimprovedtheproductionefficiencyandmechanizationofthecottontextileindustry.Thiskindofsteamenginewasquicklypromoted,sothatotherlightindustrysectorsalsotransitionedfromworkshophandicraftindustrytomachineindustry.Theinventionandwidespreadapplicationofmachineryinthelightindustrysectorhasalsopromotedtechnologicalinnovationinheavyindustryandtransportation,andhasledtoanastonishingdevelopmentinsocialproductivity.Bytheendofthe1830s,Britainhadfirstcompletedtheindustrialrevolution.MajorcapitalistcountriessuchastheUnitedStates,France,Germany,Russia,andJapanalsocompletedindustrialrevolutionsinthe19thcentury.
Theindustrialrevolutionnotonlyledtotherapiddevelopmentofcapitalistproductivity,butalsocauseddrasticchangesintheclassstructurebetweenpeople,resultinginnewtypesofcapitalistsandnewtypesofworkers—industrialworkers,andtheentiresocietywasincreasinglydivided.Andsimplifiedintothetwobasicclassesofthebourgeoisieandtheproletariat.Theexploitationrelationshipofcapitalismwasestablished,andthecapitalistsystemhassincegainedadominantpositioninhumanhistory.
ThesecondrevolutioninscienceandtechnologyInthelastdecadesofthe19thcentury,newadvancesinscienceandtechnologyappeared.Especiallyafter1873,anewupsurgeinthedevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyhasbeensetoff.Itismainlymarkedbytheapplicationofnewsteelmakingmethodsandelectricpower,andisgenerallyregardedasthesecondscientificandtechnologicalrevolutioninthemodernhistoryofmankind.
Afterthemid-19thcentury,theadvancementofscienceandtechnologygaverisetoaseriesofnewindustrialsectors.Inthemetallurgicalindustry,newsteelmakingmethodshavebeeninvented,amongwhichtheMartinsteelmakingmethodandThomassteelmakingmethodarethemostprominent.Thenewsteelmakingmethodgreatlyimprovedthesteelmakingtechnologyatthattimeandstronglypromotedtheestablishmentoflargesteelmakingplantsandmetallurgicalplants.Atthesametime,theinventionofanilinedyes,potassium-basedfertilizers,andtheemergenceofsulfuricacidandsodalaidthefoundationforthedevelopmentofmodernlarge-scalechemicalindustries.Sincethen,chemicalmethodshavebeenincreasinglyusedinvariousproductionsectors.Inthelast30yearsofthe19thcentury,theapplicationofgenerators,internalcombustionengines,andsteamturbines,aswellasnewvehiclessuchaselectriccarsandautomobilesbasedonnewengines,pushedthedevelopmentofsocialproductivitytoahigherstage.Inthistechnologicalrevolution,electricity,asausableenergysource,hasbecomeapowerfuldrivingforcefortechnologicaldevelopment.Bytheearly1890s,electricityhadbeguntobewidelyusedinindustrialproduction.Thenewachievementsofscienceandtechnologyhavecausedmajorchangesintheindustrialstructureofmanycountries,layingthetechnologicalfoundationforhuge-scaleindustrialproduction.Afterthe1870s,amongallindustriesincapitalistcountries,lightindustrialsectorssuchasthetextileindustry,whichhadpreviouslybeendominant,gavewaytoheavyindustrialsectorssuchasmetallurgyandmachinemanufacturing.
Theimprovementofthesocialproductionlevelhasenabledthecontinuousexpansionofthescaleofenterprisesandpromotedtheconcentrationofproductionandcapital.Inacapitalistsociety,duetotheintensificationofcompetitionandmergersamongcapitalists,capitalisincreasinglyconcentratedinthehandsofafewlargecapitalists,leadingtothecreationofmonopoly.Undertheimpetusofthisscientificandtechnologicalrevolution,monopolygraduallyreplacedfreecompetition,formingmonopolyorganizationsandtheruleoffinancialoligarchs,andcapitalistsocietytransitionedtothehigheststageofitsdevelopment-theimperialiststage.
TheThirdScientificandTechnologicalRevolutionAftertheSecondWorldWar,therehasbeenathirdscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionmarkedbynuclearenergy,electroniccomputersandautomationtechnologyinhumanhistory.
ThistechnologicalrevolutionbeganintheUnitedStatesinthelate1940s,andthengraduallyexpandedtoWesternEurope,EasternEuropeandJapan,andreachedaclimaxinthe1960s.Thisisamajorchangeinscienceandtechnologyonanunprecedentedscaleandfar-reachinginhumanhistory.Ithasnotonlymadebreakthroughsinindividualscientifictheoriesandproductiontechnologies,butalsohasundergoneprofoundchangesinalmosteveryfieldofscienceandtechnology,andquicklycausedagreaterleapinsocialproductivity.Afterthescientificandtechnologicalrevolution,manynewindustrialsectorshaverisenrapidly,suchasthepolymersynthesisindustry,thenuclearindustry,theelectronicsindustry,thesemiconductorindustry,theaerospaceindustry,andthelaserindustry.Theimplementationofcomprehensivemechanizationandautomationofproductionandtheuseofthemostadvancedelectroniccontroldevicesareamajorfeatureofthistechnologicalrevolution.Theproductionofelectroniccomputersischangingwitheachpassingday.Startingfromthesuccessfuldevelopmentoftheworld’sfirstelectroniccomputerin1946(seecolorpicture),inlessthan40years,electroniccomputingtechnologyhasbeenadvancingbyleapsandboundsatanastonishingspeedandhasbeencontinuouslyupdated.Thedevelopmentofthecomponenttechnologyhasgonethroughfourgenerationsandismovingtowardsthefifthgeneration.Thedevelopmentofaerospacetechnologyisacomprehensiveproductofthetechnologicalrevolution.Sincetheemergenceofartificialsatellitesinthelate1950s,mannedspaceflights,moonlandings,andexplorationofMars,Saturn,andotherplanetsinthesolarsystemhaveopenedthepreludetomankind’smarchintospace.Thedevelopmentofaerospacetechnologywillplayanincalculableroleinthedevelopmentofsocialproductiveforces.Inrecentyears,peoplehavebeendiscussingtheissueofanewscientificandtechnologicalrevolution,orthe"fourthindustrialrevolution"or"newindustrialrevolution".Theypredictthatanewworldscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionwillflourishattheendofthe20thcenturyorthebeginningofthe21stcentury.Thisnewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionreferstothedevelopmentofaseriesofemergingindustriesbasedonelectroniccomputers,includingbioengineering,opticalfibers,newmaterials,newenergy,andmarinedevelopment.Itwillpromoteanewleapinsocialproductivityandafurtherimprovementinthelevelofeconomicmanagement.Comparedwiththepreviousscientificandtechnologicalrevolutions,itwillhaveamoreprofoundimpactonmankind.
Theoccurrenceofthescientificandtechnologicalrevolutionmarkedbythesteamengineinthe18thcenturyplayedaroleinfurtherconsolidatingtheruleofthebourgeoisie,andthepowerfulproductiveforcesthatburstoutduringthattechnologicalrevolutiondemonstratedcapitalismeconomicallyTheproductionrelationsaremoreprogressivethanthefeudalproductionrelations.Formorethan100years,withtherapiddevelopmentofscienceandtechnologyandthehugeleapinsocialproductivity,ithasincreasinglyshownthatthecapitalistproductionrelationsareincreasinglyinconflictwiththedevelopmentofsocializedmassproduction,especiallytheemergenceofthesocialisteconomicsystem.Thisfundamentallyshakesthefoundationofimperialistruleandmakesthevariouscontradictionsinthecapitalistworldmoreacute.Infact,theeconomiccrisisthatsweptthecapitalistworldfrom1973to1975hasleftWesterncountriesinastateof"stagflation"(seestagflation)foralongtime.Around1980,theeconomiesofindustrialcountriesfellintorecessionsuccessively.Theemergenceofthenewscientificandtechnologicalrevolutionnotonlyheraldedthedeclineofthetraditional"bigchimneyindustry",butalsoreflectedtheintensificationofthebasiccontradictionsofcapitalism.Inshort,thedevelopmentofthenewtechnologicalrevolution,ontheonehand,broughtcapitalistproductiontoamorecomprehensivesocialization,andpreparedthenecessarymaterialandtechnicalconditionsforthesocialistrevolution;ontheotherhand,italsolaidasolidfoundationforthetransitionfromsocialistcountriestocommunism.Materialtechnologybasis.