An understanding of twentieth century changes in the rural section of the United States is more easily gained if initial changes are first examined in the areas of agricultural technology, farm organization and occupational structure, transportation, communication, urban population distribution, and rural economics. This collection of readings is directed toward an understanding of the changes in these areas. Four chapters in Section One include 25 articles that focus on the nature and magnitude of changes in agricultural technology and review the consequences for the numbers and characteristics of farm people, rural neighborhoods and communities, the urban sector, and society as a whole. Ten articles in Section Two deal with the nature and size of changes in farm organizational, occupational, and class structure; eight more articles are concerned with the consequences for all sectors of society. Section Three addresses the question of what major causal forces brought about the changes in farm technology, size, and organizational structure. In Section Four, 23 articles give an historical overview of U.S. rural communities and describe the impact of changes in transportation and communications, urban population distribution, and rural economic base. The final section is directed toward alternatives for the future and includes solutions to problems created by changes in the six focal areas. (Author/DS)