Globalisation in the 19th and 20th century

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Globalization has been perceived as a liberal agenda seeking to lower barriers to trade, investment, and other international economic exchanges that has primarily served the interests of the United States and other wealthy countries by allowing them to further penetrate and dominate poorer countries.

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However, most observers of the modern phenomenon of globalization attribute it to technological change and government policy.

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About 90 percent of history’s significant technological advances have occurred since 1800, and the rate of discovery and invention has been accelerating during that time.

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Government policy, especially, concerning economics was a prime focus after WWII with the creation of GATT and later WTO; IMF.

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Moreover, countries who act collectively can shape, restrain, or even reverse many aspects of globalization by increasing economic barriers, by restricting travel and interfering with transnational communications, and by other policies designed to make national borders less permeable.

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The Forces of McWorld use political integration (increasing number and importance of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization) where countries are no longer free to impose unilateral decisions when there are trade disputes.

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Instead, countries are under heavy pressure to submit disputes to organizations like the WTO and to abide by its decisions.

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Economic interdependence is another main force with the intertwining of national economies in the global economy.

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Social integration is also the most popular force as our world is becoming more homogenized by rapid travel and communication and by the increased interchange of goods and services.

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For example, people of different countries buy and sell each other’s products at an ever increasing rate; CNN is watched worldwide; the Internet has become instant global information and interpersonal interaction (i.e. TSR); English has become something of a lingua franca.