What is globalization?

In the later decades of the twentieth century, the world was changing quickly. Companies were doing business in other countries. There were new communication and transportation technologies. These made it easier and faster to share information, communicate with more people, and visit other places. Communication was getting deeper, too. Some people even had closer relationships with people thousands of miles away than with their own neighbors. How could you describe all these changes? If you guessed “a hot mess,” you’re close enough. However, experts and journalists call it globalization.

Globalization refers to how the world has become more connected economically, politically, socially, and culturally over time. Globalization began connecting the
world back in the era of agrarian societies. People were connecting through growing empires and trade networks. During the Columbian Exchange, globalization moved faster. It also included more people. People, plants, goods, diseases, and ideas were shared around the world. The lives of humans everywhere changed. The Columbian Exchange had positive and negative effects. Some parts of the world benefitted from new foods that helped them live longer. In other places, people were enslaved to make money for people somewhere else. Also, land was abused for its resources to make a profit for others. This pattern is called the dependency cycle.

Some experts think globalization really began after the Industrial Revolution. Local communities were connecting with global communities. In this sense, globalization means local life is affected by what is happening in other areas of the world. Globalization makes us rethink our definition of community. New transportation and communication technologies increased travel and the sharing of ideas. This is also called collective learning. Meanwhile, imperialist nations colonized other areas of the world. Colonization had many negative effects. Many cultures were destroyed. People were enslaved. Resources were used up. However, one positive effect was the creation of new technologies. For example, the railroad and telegraph helped connect people and ideas.

The world wars caused more globalization. World War I, World War II, and the Great Depression were global disasters. However, these disasters caused different parts of the world to work together in a positive way, too. The Nazis lost power because of global teamwork. New global organizations helped bring peace and financial success to the world. Some of these groups include the United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. You’ll learn about them later in this unit.

Globalization’s effect on communities and economies

Globalization has touched all aspects of human life, including migration. America is a perfect example of how migration has created diverse populations around the world. America is often called a “melting pot.” It’s called that because so many different cultures exist in the same place. When people move, they bring their language and culture with them. Their customs become part of the culture of their new home. The culture becomes more diverse. This diversity should be celebrated.

The world economy today is connected, too. If one nation struggles financially, other nations also feel it. For example, there was a global recession in 2008. Many people lost money, homes, and jobs. Events in the United States caused the recession. However, it still affected banks in Europe and Asia.

We typically see globalization through multinational corporations. These companies use workers in different countries to make a single product.

The pros and cons of globalization

Globalization brings together people from around the world. But—and there are some buts—what are the consequences? New technologies allow us to instantly send messages around the world. But not everybody has access to the Internet. Choices made by governments working together can cause problems for other countries. Millions of people across the world share the same religious beliefs. But sometimes disagreements about religion cause conflict. Economies have become connected through international trade. But, globalization has also increased inequality. In some countries, the rich have gotten richer while the poor have stayed poor. Some nations have become powerful and rich. Other nations are still trying to overcome the negative effects of colonialism. Perhaps the biggest but of them all is pollution. When one country makes pollution, it travels through the air and water. This affects other countries. Wealthy nations have also dumped their waste in poorer countries.

This unit will show how globalization can have pros and cons. In the twenty-first century, technology keeps us connected. It might seem impossible to focus on ourselves. We can’t undo globalization. However, we can still improve the lives of all humans and species. How can we eliminate some of the negatives of globalization? At the same time how can we continue to benefit from working together and sharing ideas?