20.3. Global problems of our time

In the second half of the 20th century, modern civilization, having reached considerable heights in various spheres of public life — science, technology, culture — came face to face with seemingly intractable global problems. Their circle is quite well known today. These are military-political, resource-economic, demographic, world economic problems, which manifest themselves, in particular, through crises in the field of health care, education, culture, and rising crime.

Futurologists are not unanimous in looking at the perspective of modern civilization, on its ability to solve the contradictions threatening it. Based on historical experience, some of them rightly believe that the possible death of modern civilization is possible. As a basis for such a pessimistic forecast, numerous examples are given of the disappeared civilizations of the past.

However, there is a slightly different point of view on the nature of the modern crisis of civilization. According to her supporters, the global crisis of modern civilization is planetary, not local, as it was in the past. Consequently, death does not threaten any part of modern culture, but humanity as a whole; not some form of social organization (capitalism, socialism, etc.), but the universal conditions of the tribal existence of man. Therefore, the problem facing humanity, is the possibility of changing their socio-cultural form, which is in a clearly crisis state, while maintaining the general conditions of being. Because of this, inevitably, the confrontation of all mankind is a global catastrophe, because universal danger unites, unites everyone, which instills a certain optimism. However, for this it is necessary to understand that global problems, firstly, cannot be resolved for any particular country or part of countries (for example, the problem of providing resources), because all global problems are closely related to each other. So, let’s say, turning developing countries into a source of raw materials for developed countries dooms the population of the former to a beggarly, half-starved existence, which leads to instability, increased military confrontation and, as a result, the threat of war and even the possible use of people’s mass destruction.

The threat of thermonuclear war. Among the global problems, the most important is the task of preventing a global thermonuclear war. Despite the serious achievements of the last two decades in the field of easing bloc, military-political confrontation in the world, military-political confrontation remains the most serious factor influencing the development of the global crisis. By itself, confrontation significantly restrains integration trends, hinders the awareness of the global nature of crisis phenomena. Not to mention the fact that as a result of her enormous resources are being diverted, which could be directed towards eliminating hunger and malnutrition, environmental programs, etc. Moreover, the accumulated arsenals of weapons are capable of their own way (for example, as a result of natural cataclysm, etc.) finally solve the problem of the existence of mankind as a whole. Awareness of the danger and futility of further military-political confrontation spreads throughout the world, although the speed of this movement causes well-founded concerns.

Resource depletion of the planet and ecology. An equally important factor in the global crisis is the resource depletion of the planet. By the end of the twentieth century, humanity was confronted with an energy, food crisis, a tendency to a sharp decline in reserves of non-renewable and growing unsuitability and even danger to the life of renewable resources. Of course, the resource crisis cannot be considered without regard to the problems of ecology and demography. It would be wrong to say that there is no awareness in the world of the threat of a resource and economic disaster. The scientific community, the public contributes to the adoption of various regulations, sufficiently broad national and international programs in the field of environmental protection and rational use of natural resources. However, in general, the problem is hardly solved with the help of these measures. Its cardinal decision cannot take place within the framework of an industrial civilization, humanity needs a transition to new norms of behavior, value reference points within the framework of a new post-industrial society.

Demographic factor. The demographic factor of the global crisis is most pronounced in the countries of the Third World. Freed from colonial dependence, after three or four decades of free development, the population of most of these countries was faced with poverty, hunger and epidemics. The greatest relief of the suffering of a huge part of humanity is seen against the background of the success of the scientific and technical revolution in advanced countries. The deplorable state of the Third World countries is caused not only by the historical features of their development, but also by exceptionally high rates of population growth. Thus, over the past 30 years, the population of the economically developed 39 countries has increased by only 43%, while the population of the developing 170 countries has increased 2.2 times. In the near future, demographers predict demographic stabilization and even depopulation in developed countries, population growth rates in Third World countries will be extremely high, and consequently, employment, poverty, poverty, hunger, etc. will be exacerbated.

Extremely dangerous is that the Third World countries are becoming a hotbed of instability for the whole world. Without solving their problems, it is impossible to successfully solve the other global contradictions.

To address the problems of the Third World, a Western recipe is often suggested. One of the arguments is the example of the few successful former colonial countries, following the path of development of market relations, democratic forms of social organization, etc. However, we must not forget that the global problems faced by mankind in the 20th century are generated by technological Western civilization, Western reference points of activity and ideas about the values ​​of being. This formulates another important global problem - the timely foresight and the prevention of the negative consequences of the scientific and technological revolution itself.

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The leading trend of world economic development in the period after the Second World War was the internationalization of production, which is carried out both at the private economic (international monopolies) and at the interstate level (integration processes).

Integration processes first arose in Western Europe. where reached the most developed form. Currently, they are clearly outlined in other regions and on the continents of the Planet.

At the end of XX century. The three major centers play a leading role in the world economy — the United States, Western Europe, and Japan, where the United States lags somewhat behind in terms of development, which causes intense competition among these leaders.

Completing the XX century, modern civilization, which reached heights in various spheres of public life, science, technology, culture, faced global problems, for the solution of which a transition to new forms of social is necessary! life and the formation of human civilization.

Questions for self-test

1. 1. What is the internationalization of the economy, in what forms does it manifest itself at the present stage?

2. 2. Describe the integration processes occurring in the world in the second half of the XX century. What is their conditionality and meaning?

3. 3. Name the three world centers of capitalism, evaluate their role in the community.

4. 4. What problems are global, what causes them, what is necessary to solve them?