One example of a paradigm shift is when nuclear weapons came into play. This shift happened during the Second World War, when there was a nuclear arms race between the Axis and Allied Powers. The possibility of nuclear war was first brought to the attention of President Roosevelt by physicists Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. They feared that Hitler-Germany was going to come into control of nuclear power and use it to destroy his enemies and take control of the world. The only option in their eyes was to beat Hitler, thus the Manhattan Project was initiated. The turning point of this shift was on July 16, 1945 when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. This shift occurred because the world powers all wanted to outgun each other, and the nuclear (and later hydrogen) bomb was the way they could do it.
Paradigm Shift Two:
A second paradigm shift example would be
the shift of women from the home to the workplace. The critical catalyst for
this shift was also World War II, when all able-bodied men were sent off
to fight, leaving factories basically vacant of workers. With no other option,
women became the workforce in the United States. A turning point for women’s rights, the jobs these women secured
provided a position of power. They now had a say, not just in the factories,
but also in their home. Being the so-called, “bread winners,” gave them control
over finances (at least more so than before) and also lead to a new-found independence because they had a way to support themselves. Although many women left the workplace when the men came back, their time there gave them a glimpse of what could be, leading to what is today.
Nice topics. My concern with the first one is that it will limit you too much. It's such a small timeline with not that drastic of changes I'm not sure how much depth you will be able to have. I really like your second one. Although talked about by many over the years I think you could find something enlightening in this topic. Plus you could always expand the timeline slightly backwards to show right before the war and to present day to show how the effects have lasted.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting approach in narrowing down on a time period first and finding a paradigm shift within it. No doubt that WWII drastically changed many things in the US, both culturally and socially. While I think your second idea would have a lot of support and is still changing, I think your first idea could be very interesting, as most people probably have not considered the time when nuclear warfare seemed impossible. This idea is still relevant today as the ethics of nuclear warfare are always under question. Great ideas!
ReplyDeleteBoth topics sound really interesting! I think you could probably write on the effects that both shifts had on the world for a good while! I do think the second topic is fairly popular though, maybe not among us but society in general, so the first topic has the potential to be a little more unique and enlightening. Worldwide relationships, foreign policy, the environment, and the like were all affected so you might be able to talk about them! Cool ideas overall!
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