Globalization is a phenomenon that rose to the top of the

world agenda in the late twentieth century. It involves the

abundant exchange of goods and services, information and
ideas, and technology and culture across international
borders. Although globalization has significant social,
political, and cultural aspects, it is driven primarily by
commerce. Nations buy and sell products and services
around the world more freely than ever before. A country's
economy no longer depends on the goods bought and sold
within its own borders.  The economies of many nations are
intertwined with other nations, dependent in large measure on
imports, which are products brought in from other countries,
and exports, which are products sold to other nations. In
addition to interlinked economies, globalization has led to a
greater sense of connectedness among individuals, making
the cultures of the world more accessible and familiar.
Although the term "antiglobalization" is the one most often
used to describe this movement, many have pointed out the
inaccuracy of this name. The antiglobalization movement
does not object to the idea of globalization, but rather to the
way it has developed. Antiglobalization activists note that
contemporary globalization practices have resulted in unfair
and devastating conditions in many nations. They contend
that multinational corporations have grown in strength, power,
and wealth, while developing nations continue to struggle with
dire poverty. They point out that globalization has led many
corporations to hire low-wage workers in developing nations,
taking jobs away from people in industrialized
countries. Large corporations have avoided the stricter
environmental regulations in industrialized nations by
relocating factories in less-regulated countries. Some critics
also argue that, in addition to exporting goods to other
countries, powerful Western nations have exported their
cultures as well, imposing their ways on distant lands and
eroding native cultures, languages, and practices. The term
"globalization" came into widespread use in the 1980s.
However, the practices associated with it, including financial
and cultural exchanges across borders, have existed
throughout human history. Wealthy and powerful nations
have always traded with one another. During the 1400s, an
age of exploration began in Europe that lasted several
centuries, with nations such as Spain, Portugal, and Great
Britain creating vast empires to aid trade and increase
prosperity. Just as modern-day globalization has done, the
colonization of distant lands gave Europeans a new
knowledge of foreign cultures, including foods, religions, and
farming techniques. At the same time, colonization tended to
overwhelm native cultures because they were pressed to
adopt the ways of their colonizers. The Industrial
Revolution brought an era of global trade that had been
previously unimaginable. It began in Great Britain in the mid-
1700s and spread to the United States during the late 1700s.
The era saw numerous inventions and innovations that
transformed American society. Previously, the nation
consisted of a loosely connected group of farming states.
During the Industrial Revolution, it grew into a powerful
manufacturing nation. Even before World War II ended, the
United States and its allies began to plan for postwar
economic recovery. The war had destroyed the landscape as
well as the economies of several European nations. A
number of organizations formed during the final months of the
war and soon afterward in an attempt to stabilize world
markets and facilitate international trade. The leaders of the
United States, Great Britain, and several other nations
believed that a poor and unstable nation would be more likely
to turn to communism than one with a healthy economy.
These leaders understood that postwar reconstruction
depended on financial cooperation among nations, which
would be made possible by new multinational organizations,
programs, and agreements. This network includes labor
activists, who campaign on behalf of workers and unions;
environmentalists, who fear the negative impact of
globalization on natural resources; human rights supporters,
who give voice to the poor and powerless; civil liberties
champions, who seek to protect the rights of individuals from
being infringed upon by governments and corporations; and
many others.