Rich's Question Regarding the Role of History in Catholic Social Thought

There are numerous ways to understand the development of Catholic social thought within its historical context, and the materials listed by Rich are quite helpful. I tend to emphasize the following...

The Industrial Revolution

            Increasing wealth for many (particularly in the US and Europe), widening disparity between rich and poor, colonialism, urbanization, the rise of labor movements, the influence of socialist thought, and the emerging role of technology

The Great Wars of the 20^th Century

            Massive mobilization of resources for violence and the disproportionate impact on the poor and vulnerable

The Great Depression

            Profound increases in global poverty, the call for principled responses, challenges to unbridled capitalism, and tensions between emerging economic models (e.g., Keynes, Hayek, and critical scholarship)

The Proliferation of Technology in the 20^th Century and Beyond

            Shrinking of the world via advances in communication and transportation, homogenizing of the world via the media, increased possibilities for wealth and prosperity, consumerism, and technology as threat (e.g., nuclear weapons, unemployment, and environmental degradation)

The Transition of the Catholic Church from a Largely European Institution to a World Institution

            Rising importance of local language and practice, challenges to universality, massive wealth gap within the Church, searching for prophetic voices, and engagement with difference in culture, religion, and class