Globalization, Contemporary Trends, and Summary
Overview
Statewide Dual Credit Modern World History: Unit 16, Lesson 7
A discussion of globalization highlights both its benefits and drawbacks, noting the spread of Western culture and values alongside economic growth, but also the resulting anti-globalization movements and concerns about sovereignty and exploitation. The rise of computers and the internet is explored as a major technological advancement that has revolutionized communication and the global economy.
Economic Globalization
In the 20th and 21st centuries, globalization has often resulted in the imposition of the values and culture of the United States and Western Europe on the rest of the world. Since the end of World War II in 1945, the world has experienced unparalleled economic and population growth. The world's population jumped from 2.5 billion people in 1950 to 7.5 billion people in 2020. The economies of the world have become increasingly integrated into a global economic system, as large corporations such a McDonald's and Walt Disney operate their businesses in multiple countries worldwide. The Consumer Revolution, which began in the United States in the 1920s, has spread around the world, resulting in the creation of a global popular culture based on consumers' demands for various goods (i.e., clothing, music, video games).
However, the uneven spread of globalization’s benefits caused an anti-globalization movement to rise by the end of the 20th century. Proponents of economic growth, expansion, and development generally view globalizing processes as desirable or necessary to the well-being of human society, but not everybody affected by globalization believes there are benefits to its spread.
Polarization about globalization increased dramatically after the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995; this event and subsequent protests led to a larger scale anti-globalization movement. Many individuals within the anti-globalization movement have witnessed unrest within their home communities and the world at large and questioned the basis for continuing this trend.
For example, while the forces of globalization have led to the spread of Western-style democracy, this has been accompanied by an increase in inter-ethnic tension, xenophobia, and violence as free market economic policies combine with democratic processes of universal suffrage as well as an escalation in militarization to impose democratic principles as a means to resolve conflicts.
Moreover, many claim that the increasing autonomy and strength of corporate entities shapes the political policies of countries, crowding out the moral claims of poor and working classes, as well as environmental concerns. For example, globalization allows corporations to outsource manufacturing and service jobs from high-cost locations to low-cost locations, where workers are paid less and receive less benefits.
Globalization requires a country to give up some sovereignty for the sake of executing Western ideals. As a result, sovereignty is safest with those whose views and ideals are being implemented (the U.S. and Western European nations). In the name of free markets and with the promise of an improved standard of living, countries give up their political and social powers to international organizations. Thus, globalization carries the potential to raise the power of international organizations at the expense of local state institutions, which must in turn diminish in influence.
Technological Change
The rise of computers is another major development that has significantly impacted the world economy, particularly since the 1980s.
Originally, these devices stemmed from the need for faster and more efficient ways to perform calculations, leading to the creation of electronic counting machines like cash registers. International Business Machines (IBM) emerged as a leader in this field during the 1920s in the United States. The invention of the first true computer in 1951 by John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert at the University of Pennsylvania marked a turning point.
These early computers were large, cumbersome machines primarily used by governments and big businesses. However, the landscape shifted dramatically in 1977 with the introduction of the first Apple personal computer by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Over the next few decades, personal computers (PCs) became smaller, faster, and more affordable, with a vastly increased capacity to store and transmit information. This accessibility revolutionized how we work, communicate, and access information, fundamentally reshaping the global economy.
The development of the internet further amplified the impact of computers. The U.S. Department of Defense initiated a research project in the 1960s to create a decentralized a communication network that could withstand a nuclear attack. This project led to the development of the ARPANET, which laid the groundwork for what we now know as the Internet.
By 2007 consumers could transmit and receive information through a PC via the World Wide Web (the internet) or through a phone. The World Wide Web was invented by the English computer scientist Timothy John Berners-Lee in 1989. And in 2007 Steve Jobs introduced the first “smartphone” that combined the functions of a PC and a phone and could fit into a person's pocket or purse: the Apple iPhone.
The development of PCs and the World Wide Web has created a whole new industry, which is centered at “Silicon Valley” near San Francisco in the United States. This new industry has resulted in the creation of a host of new businesses and jobs.
Computers have also improved efficiency and productivity in the world economy since they facilitate the transmission of information. Some historians have maintained that computers have inaugurated a new “Information Age,” which will transform the world economy. Since the advent of the PC, much of the world has experienced unparalleled, extended periods of uninterrupted economic growth (1983 – 1990, 1991 – 2000, 2001 – 2007). Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI)—off-shoots of computer advancements—could impact society and the economy to the same extent as the introduction of the steam engine and the factory system in 18th century Europe. Since the computers are a relatively new development in human history, their historical impact is still unclear and to be determined over time.
Cultural Change
Like radio and television which preceded it, the Internet has been the means for rapidly spreading ideas and information around the world. In particular, Western ideas about religion, sexuality, and gender have circulated to countries with more traditional cultural values. This, in turn, sparked a rejection of Western culture and an embracing of tradition. For example, in India, the current, fastest growing political party—the Bharatiya Janata Party—is committed to preserving traditional Hindu values and beliefs in Indian society. Meanwhile, in Muslim countries, many people have rejected western, secular values and have espoused a return to a lifestyle based on the traditional teachings of Islam.
At the same time, social applications on the Internet have been used to connect participants in protest movements. One example is the Arab Spring. In the 2010s, much of the Arab world experienced political and social unrest. Across North Africa and into the Middle East, people rioted against economic downturns and corrupt governments. The Arab Spring saw the removal of several heads of state. Beginning in Tunisia, the movement spread, often violently, across Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen. Smaller insurrections occurred throughout the Arab world. Out of these social and political movements, several large-scale conflicts erupted such as the Egypt Crisis, the Libyan Civil War, and the Syrian Civil War. In several cases, the heads of state used extreme military force to suppress the rioters.
Egypt was an ideal country for the Arab Spring to take hold because it was a discontented country on the road to revolution. It was the most populous country in North Africa, and its president, Hosni Mubarak, had governed since 1981. Mubarak had stripped Egypt of many of its progressive measures. In place of the liberalizing government of Anwar Sadat, Mubarak had instituted a government that was militaristic and autocratic.
Revolution came in January 2011. Thousands of Egyptians filed into Cairo’s Tahrir Square to protest Mubarak’s government. Initially, President Mubarak resisted the protesters and promised constitutional reform. Doubting his promise, the protesters increased in their demands. Violent clashes erupted between groups who supported President Mubarak, and those who supported the opposition. Within four weeks, Mubarak resigned, and the military took power in Egypt.
SUMMARY
The 30 years since the end of the Cold War brought about unprecedented change throughout the world. The fall of the Soviet Union ushered in the political and economic unification of Europe and the expansion of NATO. As the last remaining superpower, the United States enjoyed a preeminent position of power and influence in world affairs. However, trends toward globalism and a “new world order” soon ran into trouble. The Persian Gulf War, Balkan conflict, 9-11 attacks, Afghanistan War, and Iraq War proved that the post-Cold War world was anything but a peaceful place. Although the United States and Western Europe remained key players in world affairs, they faced new challenges in an increasingly powerful China, a resurgent Russia, and the outbreak of conflict in places such as Georgia and Ukraine.