Globalization…

One World

So what is globalization?

Globalization is best thought of as the growing interconnectedness in the world. It is the result of a series of historical processes (economic, political, cultural) through which the world has become compressed, and which have led to an awareness that the world is becoming a single place

For some it is a curse

• “McDonaldization” of the world

• Conquest of capitalism

• “Rich get richer, poor fall behind and can’t catch up”

For others it’s a modern nirvana…• Creates worldwide wealth

• Spread of ideas and information promotes world wide democracy and human rights.

• The human experience is enriched by the cultures and customs of the world.

Soooooo…

• How are these ideas spread?

• Is globalization a “new thing”?

“Globalize”

• The word “globalize” appeared in the 1960’s meaning “to make global in scope or appearance”

• In the 1400’s the first globes were created, but globalization began LONG before that.

Ancient human migrations took place 100,000 thousand years ago.

These were the first globalizers…• First group of

humans left central Africa 100,000 years ago arriving in the Mediterranean.

Since then…

• A recurring theme in history has been for humans to RECONNECT

Process of “reconnecting” began thousands of years ago with…

• Trading of goods

• Sharing experiences.

Early agents of globalization

• Traders

• Preachers

• Soldiers

People like…• Alexander the Great… wanted to

conquer new lands.

• Genghis Khan sought to conquer other people…

Let’s Brainstorm…

• Who else can you think of in history that is responsible for globalization???

• Marco Polo? Columbus?

What caused them to “globalize”????• Religion

• Spices

• Luxuries…gold, silk, etc

• Adventurous spirit

They traveled by…

• Animal (horse)

• Boat

• Foot

Carving on the wall at Borobudur, 9th century

Borobudur, Indonesia

• This temple may be the first monument to globalization, marking the intermixing of ideas and art from distant lands.

Early Globalization Problem

• Explorers brought new diseases to foreign lands.

Other early issues…

• Slave trade• Multinational

corporations develop… get greedy. Dutch East India Company.

• Drugs are traded… Chinese Opium War.

Poster for Dutch East India Co.

In a way…• Early globalization brought suffering

and oppression, but it did integrate the world economy.

Entire nations changed by trade… example Malaysia

• Shaped entirely by globalization

Domino effect…• American Civil War = demand for

canned food… this means tin is needed.

• Tin mines established in Malaysia using labor from China to meet demand.

• Malaysia’s new crop rubber will help industry in the new world… Henry Ford uses rubber tires on the Model T.

• Demand for much labor in the new tin and rubber industry brings labor from India.

Let’s stop and think…

• What have we learned so far?

• What questions do we still have?

Now for “modern” globalization

• In the 18th and 19th centuries, globalization receives a series of “boosts” that shorten distance and lower transportation costs…

• Can you guess what they are???

• Steam engine

• Steam ship

• Airplane

First trans-Atlantic telegram

• 1858

• From Queen Victoria to President Buchanan

• Took 17 hours to relay the information… that was SUPER fast (back then)

Since then… the world has grown even closer…

•WHY?

Then (1950’s)

Now

Easy availability of technology has shrunk time and cut cost.

• 3-minute call from NY to London– 1930 $300 (in today’s prices)– 2007 7 cents

Multilateral trade agreements

• NAFTA

• WTO

• Cut tariffs, make it easier for nations to trade.

Today the traders, explorers, missionaries, and soldiers have been replaced by• 65,000 multinational corporations• UN and other diplomatic agencies• Millions of business travelers and tourists.• Billions of consumers who buy products made

globally every day.

Daily monetary transactions all over the world…

• Worth a trillion dollars.

• Forms a stack of money twenty times as tall as Mt. Everest.

• Source: A. Givens “Runaway World, How Globalization is Reshaping our Lives.

Globalization… humanity connected…

• Brainstorm some issues (good and bad) that come along with this new “connection”…

• Disease (AIDS, SARS)• Easier to “keep an eye” on world

nations… red flag human rights violations.

• Spreading of culture• With growth comes some inequality• Outsourcing• Computer viruses• Terrorism posses challenge to the

free movement of goods and people. (Sept. 11, Al Qaeda went after a symbol of globalization… the World Trade Center)

Challenges aside… the drive to connect the human race would be hard to reverse..

Globalized world is like a small boat… • “We cannot afford to

ignore the condition of our fellow passengers on this little boat. If they are sick, we all risk infection. If they are angry, we all risk getting hurt.”

– Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations