How did the digital revolution and globalization transform America?
Explain the impact of the technology and communications revolution and economic globalization on the United States from 1970 to the present (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.50).
A standard-level answer on the digital revolution and globalization for the Tennessee US History EOC: the rise of computers, the internet, and instant communication; the shift to a service and information economy; free trade and global supply chains; and the benefits and costs of globalization.
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What this topic is asking
Standard US.50 asks about the impact of the technology and communications revolution and economic globalization on the United States from about 1970 to the present. For the EOC that means understanding the rise of computers, the internet, and instant communication; the shift to a service and information economy; the spread of free trade and global supply chains; and the benefits and costs of globalization.
The digital revolution
Key developments included the personal computer (making computing affordable for homes and businesses), the internet and the World Wide Web (linking the world's information), mobile phones and later smartphones, and the rise of major technology companies. The result was faster communication, new ways to work and shop, and an explosion of available information, along with new concerns about privacy and the digital divide.
The shift to a service and information economy
Globalization
Globalization was driven by improved transportation and communication (including the digital revolution), free-trade agreements (such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, and the World Trade Organization), and multinational corporations that built global supply chains, manufacturing parts and products in many countries.
The benefits and costs
Globalization has been a subject of intense debate because it brings both gains and losses:
- Benefits: cheaper goods for consumers, larger markets for American companies, access to new technologies and products, and greater international cooperation.
- Costs: the loss of many American manufacturing jobs to countries with lower wages, increased competition, and economic disruption for some workers and communities (such as declining industrial towns).
This debate over the effects of trade and globalization remains central to American politics, a likely point-of-view topic on the EOC.
Why this matters for the EOC
This topic supplies definition items (digital revolution, globalization), cause-and-effect items (how technology reshaped the economy, the benefits and costs of trade), and point-of-view items on globalization debates. It connects to social and cultural change (a more connected, diverse society) and to the modern economy's shift away from manufacturing.
Try this
Q1. Explain what the digital revolution was and one way it changed life. [2]
- Cue. The rapid spread of computers, the internet, and mobile communication; it changed how people work, communicate, shop, and learn.
Q2. Define globalization and give one benefit and one cost. [2]
- Cue. The growing interconnection of economies through trade and technology; benefit: cheaper goods or larger markets; cost: lost manufacturing jobs.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of TDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
TN US History EOC (style)1 marksThe spread of personal computers, the internet, and mobile phones from the 1970s onward is best called the (A) Industrial Revolution. (B) digital (information) revolution. (C) Cold War. (D) New Deal.Show worked answer →
A 1-point multiple-choice item on US.50.
The correct answer is B. The digital or information revolution refers to the rapid spread of computers, the internet, and mobile communication from about the 1970s onward, which transformed work, communication, and daily life as profoundly as the Industrial Revolution once did.
A was a century earlier, C was a political rivalry, and D was a 1930s program. The test rewards naming the digital/information revolution.
TN US History EOC (style)2 marksGlobalization reshaped the American economy in recent decades. (a) Explain what globalization means. (b) State one benefit and one cost of globalization for the United States.Show worked answer →
A 2-point item on globalization (US.50).
(a) 1 point: globalization is the growing interconnection of the world's economies and cultures through trade, investment, technology, and communication, so that goods, money, people, and ideas move more freely across borders.
(b) 1 point: one benefit and one cost, such as a benefit (cheaper goods for consumers, larger markets for U.S. companies, new technologies) and a cost (loss of some American manufacturing jobs to lower-wage countries, or greater economic competition). Markers reward defining globalization and giving one benefit and one cost.
Related dot points
- Explain the rise of modern conservatism, including the Reagan Revolution, supply-side economics, debates over the role of government, and the major presidencies of the late twentieth century (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.48).
A standard-level answer on the conservative turn for the Tennessee US History EOC: the rise of modern conservatism, the Reagan Revolution and supply-side economics, the debate over the size of government, and the presidencies from Reagan through the end of the century.
- Analyze the social and cultural changes of the late twentieth century, including immigration and a more diverse population, the continuing struggle for equal rights, and changing roles in society (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.49).
A standard-level answer on late-twentieth-century social change for the Tennessee US History EOC: new immigration after the 1965 reform and a more diverse population, the continuing struggle for equal rights for many groups, changing roles for women and families, and shifting demographics.
- Explain the September 11, 2001, attacks, the war on terror, and the major developments and challenges of the United States in the early twenty-first century (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.51 and US.60).
A standard-level answer on the twenty-first century for the Tennessee US History EOC: the September 11 attacks, the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, the security-versus-liberty debate, the Great Recession, and major developments such as the first Black president.
- Analyze Tennessee's geography, economy, and connections to national history from post-Reconstruction to the present, applying geographic and economic reasoning to the state's role (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.61).
A standard-level answer on Tennessee connections for the Tennessee US History EOC: the state's geography and three grand divisions, its economic story from the New South to the TVA and modern industry, and its central role in national events from the Scopes Trial to the civil rights movement.
- Explain the events and causes that ended the Cold War, including détente, Reagan's policies, the reforms of Gorbachev, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the collapse of the Soviet Union (Tennessee Academic Standards for Social Studies, United States History and Geography, US.47).
A standard-level answer on the end of the Cold War for the Tennessee US History EOC: détente and renewed tensions, Reagan's military buildup and pressure, Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost and perestroika), the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Sources & how we know this
- Social Studies Standards — Tennessee Department of Education (2019)
- TCAP US History End of Course Assessment Overview — Tennessee Department of Education (2023)