ORIGINS AND

HISTORY OF
GLOBALIZATION
THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
THE ORIGINS OF
GLOBALIZATION
 FIVE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES ON THE ORIGIN
OF GLOBALIZATION
Hardwired
Cycles
Epoch
Events
Broader, More Recent Changes
Hardwired
According to Nayan Chanda, it is because of our basic human
needs to make our lives better that globalization started.

Our species originated from Africa but has crossed many

continents seeking greener postures

Commerce, religion, politics and warfare are the “urges” of

people toward a better life

Those actions led to the formation of the four aspects (trade,

missionary work, adventures and conquest) of globalization and
can be traced throughout history
 Cycle
Some view globalization as cyclical process and thus finding its
origin is nearly impossible

It is also important to note how many cycles it ahs already gone

through

This idea sees global ages have already appeared

There is also a notion that eventually this current cycle will

soon disappear and reappear later on
 • Ritzer (2015) cited
Therborn’s (2000) six

EPOCH great
globalization
epochs

• Also called “waves”

of

• It does not treat epochs as

returning
1. Globalization of
Religion(4th-7th centuries)
2. European colonial
conquest (late 15th THERBORN’S SIX GREAT
century)
3. Intra European Wars (late EPOCHS OF GLOBALIZATIO
18th – early 19th centuries)
4. Heyday of European
imperialism (mid 19th
century - 1918)
5. Post-World War II
6. Post-Cold War Period
 • Gibbon (1998) – argued that Roman conquests centuries
before Christ were its origin.
• An issue of the Economist (2006, January 12)
- it is considered the rampage of the armies of Genhis
Khan into Eastern Europe in the 13th century.

EVENTS • Rosenthal (2007) gave premium voyages of discovery

- Christopher Columbus’ discovery of
- Vasco da Gama in Cape of Good Hope
America (1942)

- Ferdinand Magellan’s completed circumnavigation of

the globe (1522)
 • Recent years could be also be regarded as the beginning of
globalization

EVENTS
- First translantic telephone cable (1956)
- First translantic television broadcast (1962)
- Founding of modern internet (1988)
- Terrorist attacks on twin towers in New York.
BROADER, MORE RECENT CHANGES

• These broad changes happened in the last half of twentieth century.

• 3 Notable Changes pointed by scholars
1 The emergence of the United States as the global power
(post World War 2)

2 The emergence of multinational corporations (MMCs)

3
The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold
war
THANK YOU