ORIGINS AND HISTORY

OF GLOBALIZATION
The previous discussions answered the question
“What is Globalization?” The next question
“Where did it start?” is not easy to answer as well
because there are different views about this.
Hardwired
• According to Nayan Chanda (2007), it is because
of our basic human need to makes our live better
that made globalization possible.
• Therefore, one can trace the beginning of
globalization from our ancestor in Africa who
walked out from the said continent in the late Ice
age.
• This long journey finally led them to all known
continents today, roughly after 50000 years.
• Chanda (2007) mentioned that commerce,
religion ,politics , and warfare are the “urges” of
people toward a better life. The are respectively
connected to four aspects of globalization and
they can traced all throughout history: trade,
missionary work , adventures, and conquest.
CYCLES
• For some, GLOBALIZATION is a long-term
cyclical process and thus, findings its origin will
be a daunting task.
• What is important is the cycles that globalization
has gone through (Scholte,2005).
• Subscribing to this view will suggest adherence
to the idea that other global ages have appeared.
• There is also notion to suspect that this point of
globalization will soon disappear and appear.
EPOCH
• Ritcher (2015) cited Therborn’s (2000) six great
epochs of Globalization.
• These are also called “waves” and each has its
own origin.
• The different of this views from the second view
(cycles) is that it does not treat epochs as
returning.
The following are the sequential occurrence of the
epochs:

1. Globalization of religion ( Fourth to seventh

centuries)
2. European colonial conquests(late fifteenth
century)
3. Intra- European Wars( Late eighteenth to early
nineteenth centuries)
4. Heyday of European imperialism( Mid-
nineteenth century to 1918)
5. Post-World War II period.
6. Post-Cold War period
EVENTS
• Specific events are also considered as part of the
fourth view in explaining the origin of
globalization.

• Example:
• Argued that Roman conquests centuries before
Christ were its origin.
• The recent years could also be regarded as the
beginnings of globalization with reference to specific
technological advances in transportation and
communication.

Example
• First transatlantic telephone cable (1956)
• Founding of the modern internet in 1988
• Terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York (2001)

Certainly, with this view, more and more specific events

will characterize not just the origins of globalization but
also more of its history.
Broader , More Recent Changes
• Recent changes comprised the fifth view. These
broad changes happened in the last half of the
twentieth century. Scholars today point to these
three notable changes as the origin of
globalization that we know today.
1. The emergence of the United Stated as the
Global power (Post-world War II)
2. The emergence of multinational
corporations(MNCs)
3. The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of
the cold War.
• Through its dominant military power after
WWII, the united States was able to outrun
Germany and Japan in terms of Industry. Both
Axis powers and allies fall behind economically
as compared to the new global power.
• Because of the this,