Lesson 3 History of Globalization
Lesson 3 History of Globalization
Lesson 3 History of Globalization
Introduction
Globalization is one of the most debated topics in the field of Social Sciences.
Scholars still argue on the issue as to when and where it started. In the previous
lesson, we mentioned that globalization is a process which cannot be defined clearly
with beginning and an ending.
This lesson will discuss different factors related to globalization and put them
into a historical perspective. The different periods that contributed to the emergence
of globalization will also be included in the lesson.
Objectives/Competencies:
Complete the table by listing down two-three (whichever is applicable) mobile phone
brands/models that you were able to use in the past. Start from the most recent.
2.
3.
What have you noticed? What made you decide to shift to another brand or model of
mobile phone?
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Trade is measured as one of the most important factors that started the
cross- border relationship among nations. This process involves transfer or
exchange of goods and services from one person to another or one country to
another. The following are the most important periods in the emergence of
globalization.
Silk roads
People have been trading goods from the very start. Yet in the 1 st century BC,
an incredible phenomenon occurred. Luxury products from China started to appear
in Rome. They got there after being hauled for thousands of miles along the Silk
Road. Trade had stopped being a local or regional affair and started to become
global (Vanham, 2019).
This is not to conclude that globalization started intense. Silk was considered
a luxury good, together with the spices that were added to the intercontinental trade
between Asia and Europe. The value of these exports was tiny, in relation with the
total income of the economy, yet many middlemen were involved to get the goods to
their destination. But because of this, global trade links were established. Silk road
served as the key to people‗s movements and open the doors for trans-border
relations among countries.
According to Kuzmina (2008) this was the road that for many centuries saw
the movement of people, object and ideas. Ethnic migrations, trade that was first
conducted in stages and later by caravan, the spread of advanced technologies and
ideological conceptions- all were part of the process by which the achievements of
the different people of Eurasia blended into a universal stream.
16th century
Allen (2017) added that the Industrial Revolution made for a fantastic twin
engine of global trade. On another note, trains and steamships could transport
goods, both within countries and across countries. Moreover, its industrialization
authorized Britain to produce products that were in demand all over the world, like
manufactured goods, textiles, and iron. With its advanced industrial technologies,
Britain was also able to bombard a huge enlarging international market. The result of
globalization could be seen through numbers. Trade grew on average 3% per year,
for about a century. That growth rate drove exports from a share of 6% in the early
19th century, to 14% in the eve of WW I. As stated by the Economist, John Maynard
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Keynes, London could order through telephone the goods and services it wants
while sipping tea and lying on bed.
While Britain was the country who benefited most from globalization, as it had
the most technology and capital, other countries did benefitted too, by exporting
goods. For instance, the invention of the refrigerated cargo ship or ―reefer ship‖ in
the 1870s, allowed countries like Uruguay and Argentina, to enter the golden age of
globalization. They started to mass export meat, from cattle grown on their vast
lands. Other countries, too, started to specialize their production in those fields in
which they were most competitive.
For More (2000), Industrial Revolution implies industrialization- that is both the
absolute growth of industry and its expansion relative to the other sectors of the
economy, those being agriculture and services. Industry in this context covers
manufacturing, mining and building.
Yetthe first wave of industrialization and globalization also coincided with
darker events, too. Many workers in the industrialized nations did not benefit from
globalization, for their work is commoditized by industrial machinery, or their output
undercut by foreign imports.
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Globalization 4.0 (20th Century)
Globalization in the 20th century is considered as the golden age of
globalization. Movement of people, goods and services across national borders was
at least as free and significant as it is today.
In a world dominated by two powerful countries, China, and the US, the new
partition of globalization is the cyber world. Digital economy, in its early years during
the 3rd wave of globalization, is now becoming a strength to reckon with through 3D
printing, digital services, and e-commerce. It is further empowered with artificial
intelligence, but is threatened by cross-border hacking and cyber-attacks (Vanham,
2019).
Moreover, a negative globalization is enlarging too, through climate change.
Pollution often leads to extreme weather events in another. This has a further
devastating effect not just on the world‗s biodiversity, but also in its capacity to cope
with hazardous greenhouse gas emissions. As they say, for every production, there
is destruction, and for every consumption, there is waste.
Read the statements below. This is taken from the article ―How Millennials
Can Make Globalization 4.0 Work For All‖ by Luscombe (2018).
Activity # 1.
To check your insights and understanding of the lesson, accomplish the
activity below. Use a separate sheet of paper.
Conduct a short interview with a family member (preferably parents or
grandparents). Ask them the following questions.
1. What major changes in the country have you noticed in the last 30 years?
2. Give three advantages and three disadvantages of technological
advancements based on your personal observation/experience.
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Reflection/ Learning insights:
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