Globalization
World history is the story of human connection. In the last 500 years, our world has grown more interconnected as the first global system emerged and grew. In the last 100 years, a period called globalization has intensified those processes of connection as innovations in production, communication, and transportation shrink our world, offering our communities new challenges and opportunities.
Featured Materials
Is the World Flat or Spiky?
Article
Is the World Flat or Spiky?
Some people see globalization as leveling the economic playing field. Others think it increases inequality. Which one is it: flat or spiky? You decide.
Source Collection: Resistance to Global Institutions
Article
Source Collection: Resistance to Global Institutions
The sources in this collection will help you understand how globalization has led to both international cooperation and resistance.
Geography: Supply Chain
Activity
Geography: Supply Chain
You can buy clothes, food, and technology that’s made thousands of miles away. Time to research how all that stuff gets to you.
Explore the lesson plans
Lesson 6.5
Globalization
When did globalization begin? That’s not an easy question to answer. The world became interconnected after the Columbian Exchange, but industrialization accelerated our connections to people across the world. Let’s see if we can come to our own conclusions.
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Lesson 9.2
Is Globalization Good or Bad?
Our world is more connected than ever, but not everyone experiences those connections the same way. Dive into real-world examples that show how globalization creates both opportunity and inequality.
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Lesson 9.5
Global Communities
It’s time to join the conversation about human rights and global cooperation. Explore how global institutions and grassroots movements have worked together—and at times clashed—in the fight for justice since World War II.
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Materials
Goods Across the World
Article
Goods Across the World
From your phone to a cup of coffee, thousands of people around the world are part of the design, production, distribution, marketing, and support of things you use every day.
The Great Acceleration
Article
The Great Acceleration
This article introduces the idea of the Great Acceleration—a dramatic surge in technological advances since 1945.
Ugandan Migrants
Graphic Biographies
Ugandan Migrants
Aminah and Grace are aliases given to two Ugandan women who are among the millions of migrants who leave their homes, temporarily or permanently, seeking work opportunities abroad.
Civil Rights and Global Liberation
Article
Civil Rights and Global Liberation
As the Cold War heated up, the American government began to see racism in America as a liability for their foreign relations.
Indigenous Americans and Globalization
Video
Indigenous Americans and Globalization
There are lots of misconceptions about globalization. Examining the relationship between Indigenous Americans and globalization helps us challenge those misconceptions.
