Globalization

3 Pages 633 Words

Sometimes it's difficult to swallow whole the talk that abounds about globalisation.
The internet may be spearheading a global communications revolution; fashion designers may embrace "ethnic" hues and styles; McDonald's may spread its restaurants across the globe.

Beyond the front pages, globalisation is a reality that, for better or worse, touches our lives in ways most us never stop to think about.

McDonald's: More than 25,000 outlets in about 120 countries

Many would certainly say it was a good thing. Increased international trade has made us wealthier and allowed us to lead more diverse lifestyles.

But the legions of demonstrators now amassing in Prague for the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank disagree.

The coalition of environmentalists, anti-poverty campaigners, trade unionists and anti-capitalist groups see the growth of global companies as raising more problems than it solves.

The "Battle of Seattle" was a landmark for anti-capitalist protestors


The term "globalisation" was first coined in the 1980s, but the concept stretches back decades, even centuries, if you count the trading empires built by Spain, Portugal, Britain, and Holland.

Some would say the world was as globalised 100 years ago as it is today, with international trade and migration.

But the 1930s depression put paid to that. Nation states drew back into their shell on realising that international markets could deliver untold misery in the form of poverty and unemployment.

The resolve of Western states to build and strengthen international ties in the aftermath of World War II laid the groundwork for today's globalisation.

It has brought diminishing national borders and the fusing of individual national markets. The fall of protectionist barriers has stimulated free movement of capital and paved the way for companies to set up several bases around the world.

The rise of the in...