Globalization as a Historical Process

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“Globalization is an intensification of global relations that connects distant localities in such ways that local events are formed by events that happen many kilometers away and vice versa” (Giddens, 1990, p. 64).

Globalization is one of the most powerful forces that has been shaping the world for an indefinite time now. Because of its complexity, it became a constant subject of controversial discussions (Prakash & Hart, 1999). Up to this point, there is no widely accepted definition or exact system of measurement for it. Not all authors agree on when and how the globalization process started; however, it was recognized that human beings have been trading from a great distance with each other for thousands of years. Does that mean globalization has always existed? This essay, then, will demonstrate how and why globalization can be presented as a historical process.

Globalization as a Cyclical Process

Hopkins postulated four distinct periods to describe globalization and its development: archaic, early, modern and postcolonial. Archaic occurred prior to industrialization. Early is dated from the 17th to the 19th century. Modern refers to the 19th century and focused mainly on the industrialization era. Lastly, postcolonial covers those that happened after colonialism period in the 20th century and the formation of international organizations (Hopkins, 2002). Globalization, therefore, is a phenomenon that has occurred in the past, crucial moments of human history which have been constantly repeated over time. Such events were controlled by the states, the central actors in world politics.

This claim was highly supported by a renowned sociologist named Immanuel Wallerstein. He, as well, did not find the globalization trend to be something new, rather, purported that it is something that must have existed and evolved for, at least, the last five centuries. In addition, he believed that the onset of the current economic system emerged in the 16th century and was a result of the division of labor and changes in trading system between North-West Europe’ commercial states and the Eastern Baltic Sea’s maize production. Wallerstein also sees globalization as constantly repeating itself, in reference to significant historical data (Bzdilová & Eštok, 2011).

The Silk Road

One significant example of globalization is the Silk Road. The Silk Road can be considered as a historical process. It started some time between 100 BCE and 1450s. The name and the trade expanded across Central Asia, which connected China and Europe in the Middle Ages (Andrea, 2014). The Silk Road It created globalizing tendencies and contributed to the share of commodities that led to economic development, religion interactions, cultural and political exchanges (Elisseeff, 2001). It can also be noted that this phenomenon is also a cyclical process since it began during the ancient civilization, repeated over time and is continuously evolving.

The Silk Road has received more attention in recent years. China’s President Xi Jinping in 2013 formed the Belt and Road Initiative, an adaptation of the concept of Silk Road. The Belt and Road Initiative aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe via land and maritime channels. The initiative focuses on expanding regional integration, boosting international trade, stimulating economic growth, connecting people and cultures, and coordinating foreign policies (Kuo & Kommenda, 2018).

Migrations

“Man has spread widely over the face of the earth, and must have been exposed, during his incessant migration, to the most diversified conditions. The inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, the Cape of Good Hope, and Tasmania in the one hemisphere, and of the arctic regions in the other, must have passed through many climates, and changed their habits many times, before they reached their present homes” – Charles Darwin (Barett & Freeman, 1989, p. 51).

Migration is a narrative of people’s movement from one country to another. Migration is not a recent occurrence but, it has become a lot simpler as years progressed. This leads us to the concept of `time and space compression` that humans are expected to alter (Harvey, 1990). The spatial barriers that slowed down the people back then, especially the lack of knowledge and means, are gradually phasing out. As space started shrinking, the world is also dynamically turning into a global village where nations are interdependent amongst each other, making migration a common event.

War and Globalization

One of the delicate relationships that has existed for a long time is between war and globalization. While globalization promotes development and diversity, certain conditions and policies also lead to unrest, inequality and conflict among states. Globalization, deplorably, fuels the means to wage war by protecting and promoting military industries needed to produce sophisticated weaponry (Staples, 2000). The most intense and transformative wars occur when countries fail to find a common ground among each other. Each major war establishes a period of peace among nations, until the next transformative cycle, in which wars escalate in frequency and intensity until they reach a major transformative war again. At present, there is an on-going trade dispute between China and US. People are anxious that this might provoke and escalate to another world war considering how such disagreements have occurred among great powers before.

Conclusion

Globalization is a multidimensional concept and because of all the strings and facets attached to it and affected by it, it is not easy to define and quantify. Knowing specifically how, when, where and why it started, therefore, will remain as a puzzle. The concept may have been coined and widely used in the modern age but evidences in history suggest that the practice and process of globalization might be an ancient phenomenon. Various scholars also stress different aspects of globalization which imply that it is continuously being integrated, passively or not, among countries. Depending on its environment and regardless of the surrounding circumstances, globalization will evolve limitlessly and unceasingly.

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Globalization as a Historical Process

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