Introduction to Globalization

By Bridgette Byrd O’Connor. Globalization is now a buzzword in twenty-first-century politics. The interconnection and interdependency
has equally long lists of pros and cons. What does globalization mean and when did it begin?
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 •What is Globalization?
•Historical Context of Globalization
•Impacts of Globalization
Objectives:
A. History
• What late twentieth-century trends led people to create the term
“globalization”?
• What are some historical trends that accelerated globalization
before the late twentieth century?
B. Impacts
• What are some impacts of globalization in terms of migration
and economics?
• What are some positive impacts of globalization?
• What are some negative impacts of globalization?
What is globalization?
Globalization is a process of interaction and
integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by
international trade and investment and aided by
information technology.

Globalization is the advance of human cooperation

across national boundaries.
What is globalization?

•Globalization is about the flows, often vast

in scale and fast in speed, of just about
anything you can think of, from people and
emails to viruses and carbon dioxide, across
the world and across borders.
The system of global cooperation
• The system of global cooperation—each person doing a
specific task that, when combined with the tasks performed
by others, results in the steady output of vast quantities of
valuable goods and services.
oThis system of competition and cooperation is marvelously
productive.
oThis system of human cooperation is not flawless.
• At the core of globalization is the notion of
interconnectedness, which refers to webs and
networks of ties of every sort.
• A similar concept is that of interdependence, the
reality that every country and person is affected to
some extent by what takes place everywhere else and
by what others do.
The late twentieth-century trends led people
to create the term “globalization”
1. People were exchanging ideas rapidly as technology made travel
and communications easier.
a. It was now possible to send and receive information or visit other places
much more rapidly than ever before.
b. People could have closer relationships with others living thousands of miles
away, than with their own neighbours.
2. The businesses that people worked for were buying and selling
more goods in distant places.
3. International organizations were increasingly bringing together
representatives from many different communities.
Some historical trends that accelerated
globalization before the late twentieth century
In the era of agrarian societies as empires expanded and
trade networks grew.
a. When people, plants, goods, diseases, and ideas were
shared across all world zones, the lives of humans
everywhere changed.
b. In some regions this was mainly positive. For example, the
introduction of more caloric food increased life expectancy.
c. In other regions, the effects were more negative, such as
slavery and exploitation of the land and resources for profit
elsewhere—known as the dependency cycle.
Some historical trends that accelerated
globalization before the late twentieth century
Industrial Revolution, the world became even more
interconnected, and some scholars say that
globalization really began in this period.
a. Through the Industrial Revolution, local-global
connections began to be established. Transportation and
communication advancements led to an increase in
travel and the sharing of ideas (collective learning).
b. Imperialist nations exerted control over other areas of
the world.
Some historical trends that accelerated
globalization before the late twentieth century
The world wars globalized us even more.
a. There was global disaster with World War I, the even
deadlier sequel, and the Great Depression.
b. After World War II, many global organizations were
formed to help to bring peace, stability, and economic
prosperity to the world. The United Nations, NATO, the
World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund are all
global organizations you’ll learn about later in this era.
Globalization’s effect on communities and
economies
Globalization has touched all aspects of human existence.
1. Migration - as people move, they bring with them their language,
culture, food, and customs. These become interwoven within an
existing society and create diversity, which should be celebrated.
2. Economics - The world economy today is so intertwined that if one
nation struggles financially, the effects are felt in global markets.
a. The 2008 global recession, for example, caused several banking crises in
Europe and Asia, but really began with a “bubble” of bad loans in the
United States.
b. On an everyday basis, globalization is represented by multinational
corporations that employ people around the world. These companies often
make a single product from resources and labor in many different countries.
The Pros and Cons of Globalization
The pros and cons of globalization
Positive impacts of
globalization
Technological innovations
now let people around the
world communicate and
share ideas in real time.
Governments can work
together to trade and solve
problems.
Negative impacts of
globalization
But not everybody has the
same access to computing
or the Internet.
But that means some
people are affected by laws
or policies made in other
countries.
The pros and cons of globalization
Positive impacts of Negative impacts of
globalization globalization
Beliefs are shared, which But these shared beliefs
results in millions of also increase tensions
people practicing the with disagreements
same faith in various between people of
parts of the world. different faiths, and even
within faiths.
The pros and cons of globalization
Positive impacts of Negative impacts of
globalization globalization
Economies have become But, globalization has also
intertwined through led to an increase in
international trade and inequality.
aid.
In some nations the But the poor have stayed
wealthy have become far stagnant economically.
richer.
The pros and cons of globalization
Positive impacts of globalization
Some areas of the world have
become extremely powerful and
wealthy.
Transportation and
communication advancements led
to an increase in travel and the
sharing of ideas.
Negative impacts of globalization
But others are still trying to
overcome the negative effects of
colonialism.
The use of fossil fuels in
industrialized nations has led to
pollution that spreads around the
world. As a result, one nation’s
pollution becomes the problem of
other nations, as wind and water
currents carry these toxic fumes
and chemicals.
•Given the benefits and challenges of
globalization, what do you think we, collectively,
should do?
Conclusion
• Interconnection and interdependency, therefore, can be a double-
edged sword.
• With all of the twenty-first century’s technology, medical innovations,
and multinational corporations, it’s impossible to think that we can
ever retreat from the modern world to focus only on ourselves.
• Globalization isn’t reversible, so how can we eliminate some of the
negatives as we move forward and continue to reap the rewards of
working together and exchanging ideas?