The scientific and technological revolution is a fundamental, revolutionary and qualitative breakthrough and leap in the development of science and technology. It not only has a great impact on human social production and social life, but also profoundly affects the development and evolution of international relations. The new technological revolution after the end of the Second World War has had a particularly profound and extensive impact on international relations. On the one hand, the development of the new technological revolution leads to the end of the bipolar pattern and the emergence of multipolarization, and poses more and more challenges to the traditional concept of national sovereignty. On the other hand, it has also had a great impact on North-South relations, and the gap between North and South has further widened. At the same time, it has also promoted the constant change of human concept of war, and peace and development have increasingly become the main theme of international relations.
1 Modern scientific and technological revolution and the development and evolution of international relations
Engels once pointed out: "Science is a revolutionary force that has played a driving role in history." The influence of scientific and technological revolutions on human society in the process of modern human development proves this point. From modern times to before the Second World War, human society experienced two scientific and technological revolutions, each of which profoundly affected the development of international relations.
The first scientific and technological revolution was an industrial revolution marked by the invention and application of the steam engine in the18th century, which promoted the great development of textile, metallurgy, machinery, shipbuilding and shipping, and greatly promoted the development of productivity in European countries at that time. This scientific and technological revolution not only made Britain, a small island country that has been on the edge of European civilization, become the most powerful country in the world because of the earliest revolution, but also led to the germination of modern international relations. Before the first scientific and technological revolution, although the great geographical discoveries of15th century and16th century started the communication between the continents in the world, this connection was irregular and one-sided, so there was no international relationship in the modern sense. After the industrial revolution, with the development of astronomy and geography, the navigation industry has reached an unprecedented scale, and regular and close exchanges have begun within and between continents, and global international relations have gradually taken shape.
The second scientific and technological revolution began in the late19th century, marked by the popularization and application of electric power technology, which led to the appearance of electric light, telephone, telegraph and motor, and the rapid development of iron and steel industry, automobile industry, aviation industry, railway, highway transportation and chemical industry, which made human society enter the electric power era from age of steam. And finally promoted the formation of modern international relations. Since then, the development of international relations has obviously become global and holistic, and any country is inevitably affected by various events in the world. Major events in every country, especially some big countries, will also have various influences on global international relations, especially due to the imbalance in the development of national strength. Several powerful countries that have overwhelming advantages over other countries in economic and military strength often play a leading role in international affairs and compete for world hegemony. In this scientific revolution, Germany and the United States are in the leading position, followed by Britain and France. Due to the unbalanced political and economic development of capitalist countries, emerging countries have to re-divide their colonies and compete for world hegemony. Finally, two world wars broke out in the first half of the 20th century. Versailles system and Yalta system were established one after another. On the basis of Yalta system, the bipolar pattern of hegemony between the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union after the war was established. The occurrence of the two world wars and the formation of the bipolar pattern between the United States and the Soviet Union are fundamentally due to the changes in the comprehensive national strength of various countries caused by the scientific and technological revolution.
The history of the development and evolution of modern international relations clearly shows that with the transfer of science and technology centers around the world, the pattern of international relations always changes. /kloc-Britain dominated the world in the 0/9th century, Germany challenged British hegemony in the first half of the 20th century, and the formation of the bipolar pattern between the United States and the Soviet Union after World War II was closely related to the leading position of these countries in the world science and technology field at that time.
2 the impact of the new technological revolution on international relations
The two modern scientific and technological revolutions and their industrial revolutions have lasted for hundreds of years, and their influence on international relations is often covered up by other influences, so they have not received due attention. Although the influence of modern science and technology on international relations is profound, its performance is not very obvious, which affects the degree of attention to scientific and technological factors.
Since 1950s, especially since 1970s, the new technological revolution has developed rapidly, which is marked by the wide application of atomic energy, computers, especially microelectronics, bioengineering and space technology. Compared with the previous two times, the impact of this scientific and technological revolution on international relations is not only more direct and obvious, but also more profound and extensive.
(1) led to the transformation of the pattern of international relations, the bipolar pattern of the United States and the Soviet Union finally disintegrated, and the world developed towards multipolarization. In the final analysis, the change in the pattern of international relations is a change in power contrast. The scientific and technological revolution has revolutionized the economic strength and military strength of some countries, leading to fundamental changes in international relations.
In the long river of history, military strength has long been the commanding height of international competition. All major powers are committed to the military field and pursue the goal of becoming a world power from a military power. However, after the mid-1970s, with the rapid development of modern scientific and technological revolution, scientific and technological strength gradually replaced military strength in national strength and became the commanding height of international competition. Under the new situation, the gap between the Soviet Union and western developed countries, especially the United States, gradually widened and eventually disintegrated. This led to the end of the bipolar pattern. At the same time, the rise of modern scientific and technological revolution has not only shortened the gap between Japan, Western Europe and other western developed countries and the United States, but also greatly increased the comprehensive national strength of newly industrialized countries such as China, India and Brazil in the past two decades. These countries actively participate in international affairs and play an increasingly important role in the international arena, pushing international relations towards multipolarization.
(2) With the development of the new technological revolution, the traditional concept of national sovereignty is increasingly challenged. National sovereignty is the most important attribute that distinguishes a country from other social groups, which is manifested as the highest sovereignty at home and independence at home. It is precisely because of this fundamental attribute that a country can play the most important role in international relations. Only in this way can it become the most basic actor in international relations. In the traditional sense, national sovereignty is indivisible, non-transferable and non-enjoyable. However, with the rapid development of modern scientific and technological revolution, the traditional concept of national sovereignty is being challenged and eroded day by day. In particular, the development of satellites, spaceships and electronic technology has overcome the restrictions of natural and geographical factors on the free transmission of information. Strictly speaking, every country has no secrets. In addition, the international division of labor, the international market system and the transfer and flow of science and technology around the world have greatly weakened the importance of geographical boundaries, threatened countries to safeguard their sovereignty, and created some new problems.
Therefore, the development and role of modern science and technology has made it absolutely impossible for a country to have absolute sovereignty. When all countries are declaring their sovereignty inviolable, the agreements needed for the operation and management of an essentially interdependent world are slowly infringing on their sovereignty. In the increasingly open international society in the future, the partial weakening and partial alienation of national sovereignty has become the general trend of development. The traditional concept of national sovereignty must also develop and change with the progress of the times.
(3) The development of the new technological revolution has had a great impact on the North-South relations, and the gap between the North and the South has further widened. Compared with the modern scientific and technological revolution, the new technological revolution, which began in the middle of the 20th century, has two outstanding features: First, it is expensive. Need a lot of money to carry out new research projects, develop new products and configure experimental equipment; Second, a highly integrated scientific research and sales system is needed, involving many aspects, such as comprehensive, systematic and developed basic science, complete scientific and technological personnel, advanced manufacturing technology and technology, first-class experimental conditions, developed information network, perfect product promotion and sales system, etc., to ensure the rapid development, research, utilization and sales of leading new products.
These two new characteristics of the new technological revolution make the vast majority of scientific research activities only available in developed countries, resulting in more than 80% of the world's scientific and technological activities in the hands of developed countries, and the proportion of developing countries is less than 20%. However, developing countries are far behind developed countries in terms of annual per capita scientific research expenditure, the proportion of scientific research expenditure in GDP and the number of scientific and technological personnel. With the development of scientific and technological revolution, the scientific and technological gap between North and South will further widen, and the result will be that the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. Developed countries rely on their advanced technology to import raw materials and primary products at low prices, process them into high-tech and high value-added products and export them to developing countries. Because of its backwardness, developing countries have to export cheap raw materials and primary products to developed countries in exchange for foreign exchange, and then import manufactured goods from developed countries at high prices. This unequal trade has further widened the already huge gap between the North and the South, and the contradiction between the North and the South will continue to deepen and even intensify.
(4) The development of the new technological revolution has also prompted the constant change of the human concept of war, making peace and development the main theme of today's international relations. In human history, although there have been tens of millions of wars, due to the limitation of technical conditions, its combat capability, strike force, lethality and destructive power are far from comparable today. Today, with the development of modern scientific and technological revolution and the production of a large number of new weapons, the field of war has expanded to an "unattainable" position, and it can dive into the deep sea. Under the action of high-tech weapons, mountain obstacles and roadblocks have lost their former prestige. In the Battle of Ama Island in Britain, the British Air Force quickly went to Ama Island, which was10.3 million kilometers away, for air combat. During the Gulf War, the US Air Force crossed the ocean, flew a long distance of 3,200 kilometers and carried out large-scale air strikes. In the Gulf War, the multinational forces led by the United States turned the night battlefield into a "one-way transparent" battlefield to a great extent by virtue of their absolute superiority in night fighting equipment, and most of the major actions of the multinational forces were carried out at night. Good combat results have been achieved. The emergence of nuclear weapons and their great lethality and destructive power make modern wars have no real winners. Today, with the rapid development of modern scientific and technological revolution, the whole world is in a state of complete destruction at the press of a button. In the past, it was thought that one warring party would win and the other would lose, and the idea that the victorious country gained more from victory than it paid did not conform to the historical development trend. Has been eliminated by history. In other words, the human concept of war has changed. In today's era, it is possible to pursue and realize national goals through peaceful means by relying on scientific and technological advantages. The peaceful factors that restrict the world war are growing. It is this change of concept that makes peace and development the theme of international relations today. This is also an important reason why the world has been in a state of overall peace since the Second World War 60 years ago.
3 Conclusion
In a word, the rapid development of the new technological revolution has not only promoted the great changes in human social production and social life, but also had a great impact on world politics, economy and military affairs, and also had a more profound and extensive impact on the development and evolution of international relations. 2 1 century is an era of more intense competition in science and technology. Whoever is in the leading position in the field of science and technology will occupy a favorable position in the future international competition and in the future international relations and international affairs.
References:
Hu. The essence of world history-20th century scientific and technological revolution and the process of world history [M]. Beijing: China Youth Publishing House, 1999.