This process began in the era of antiquity, when the Roman Empire was approved its hegemony over the Mediterranean. It could not even be stopped by two World Wars, and his ending, consisting in the unification of all countries into a single whole, was predicted even by the ancient Greek thinker Diogenes. What is globalization - in this article.
Globalization - what is it?
The source of this process is the development of the economy. Any single state is no longer a closed system: free trade, capital flows, and tax and duty cuts are observed. On this basis, a single network market economy is formed, which destroys the national sovereignty of states. As a result, there is a world integration of countries with the unification of economic, political and cultural spheres. The concept of globalization is associated with the gradual destruction of all barriers and boundaries and the creation of a unified society.
Who are globalists and what do they want?
Since this process is primarily an economic one, representatives of the world's largest companies and global monopolies are fighting for the idea of a unified society. They want to simplify labor legislation, arguing that this is necessitated by a more flexible labor market. In addition, they are in favor of reducing the state's control over them and even seek to control the authorities themselves. The essence of globalization is to create a common market without barriers, a single world totalitarian government is the center from where the powerful of this world will manage everything.
Causes of Globalization
They are closely connected with the formation of market-capitalist relations. With the development of European trade and the European world economy, sustained economic growth begins. The process of globalization continues with the colonization of America, the growth of trade with developing countries, and the development of technological progress and the emergence of the Internet only accelerated it. A lot of influential international organizations such as the United Nations, the WTO, the European Union, this is what globalization is and how it changed the world.
With the delegation of authority to these organizations, their political influence has increased dramatically. Against the backdrop of the migration of people and the free movement of capital, the power of the state, extended to its citizens, declined. As a result, the problems of global politics began to be solved both by open clubs of the G-8 type, and by closed secret societies - Masons and others.
Signs of globalization
This process has affected all aspects of human life. The main factors of globalization:
- Weakening of national states.
- The emergence of world organizations such as NATO, the United Nations and increasing their power.
- For those who are interested in what globalization is, it is worth noting that its sign is the formation of free trade, the movement of capital, and the reduction of taxes.
- Development of advertising.
- Increase in the volume of exports and imports.
- Increase in the turnover of stock exchanges.
- Merger of enterprises located on different continents.
- Merging cultures, the emergence of an international language.
- Development of international tourism.
Pros and cons of globalization
Politicians and scientists around the world are arguing about the role of this process in people's lives. But one can not deny the positive and negative aspects of globalization. Yes, it has generated international competition, and this forces the company to improve the quality of its products, introduce modern technologies, which accelerates technical progress. But at the same time, transnational companies are pressuring the state, forcing them to betray the interests of their citizens for maximum profit, but all of it settles in the hands of the oligarchs, and ordinary citizens only become poorer.
Pros of globalization
The merits of turning the world into a single system include:
- Development of scientific and technological progress, improving the quality of manufactured goods.
- The consequences of globalization are associated with economies of scale. The jumps in the economy have decreased, and the consequence of this has been a decline in prices.
- All subjects of market relations are interested in international trade, and this only accelerates the process of globalization.
- Introduced modern technologies increase labor productivity.
- The third world countries have the opportunity to catch up with the advanced states, improving their economic situation.
The disadvantages of globalization
Universal integration and unification, which reveal the notion of what globalization is, led to undesirable consequences, among which:
- The destruction of industry, rising unemployment , poverty. And all because globalization is distributed unevenly and while strong companies receive huge benefits, less competitive lose the market, become unnecessary.
- The negative manifestation of globalization is also in the reduction of fertility.
- Deindustrialization of the economy leads to the need for retraining. As a result, a person for his life can change 5 or more professions.
- The negative consequences of globalization lie in the deterioration of the environment. The world is on the verge of a catastrophe: rare animals die out, the climate warms, air gets clogged, etc.
- Globalization and its consequences have affected labor legislation. An increasing number of workers work unofficially. Their rights are not protected by anyone.
- Growth of the speculative economy, monopolization of production.
- Increasing the gap between developed and developing countries.
Types of globalization
An increasing number of countries are involved in this process. All spheres of life of the world society are undergoing a change. The forms of globalization are determined by the predominant sides of people's lives and the first is the economic one, which is to expand trade, economic and financial ties. Almost all the countries of the world have experienced the negative consequences of the financial crisis. In the political sphere, stable ties are formed between states and individual institutions of power. In addition, there is a merger of business cultures of different peoples.
Economic globalization
This is the main regularity of world development. In view of the world situation, the sectoral structure, the location of the productive forces, the conversion of technologies and information in a large economic space are determined. The globalization of the economy is the growth of international trade, outstripping GDP growth. World financial markets work around the clock, and capitals move so fast that it creates prerequisites for the destruction of stable economic systems, that's what it is - globalization. This process fixes the peripheral model of the economy.
Political globalization
Its main consequence is the centralization of subjects of government. The national states are weakening, their sovereignty is changing and decreasing. Globalization in politics leads to an increase in the role of large transnational corporations, and with it the regions are increasingly influencing the internal affairs of the state. One obvious example is the European Union, which determines the importance of regions and their role in the EU.
Cultural globalization
This process is secondary, but one does not notice how people gradually abandon national traditions, pass to universal stereotypes and cultural values, it is impossible. The globalization of culture has affected all areas, from schooling to entertainment and fashion. All over the world, they began to dress roughly the same way, like to spend leisure time and fell in love with dishes that came from the kitchens of other nations. The books are translated into several languages, and the films go to many countries.
Couchsurfing became very popular. To see the world, to get acquainted with the customs and culture of other peoples, people invite people to their homes and also go on a visit to completely unfamiliar people to any other point on the planet. This is promoted by the Internet network, thanks to which people had an opportunity to communicate with representatives of other nationalities, to exchange experience and knowledge.
Globalization in the modern world
Supporters of this process argue that it can not be managed and it has a natural character, but it is possible to reduce the negative consequences and enhance the dignity, if we conduct a reasonable protectionist policy, to reform the monetary system. It is necessary to form national or regional "free trade zones", protected from the negative impact of the global economy.
The globalization of the modern world popularizes certain types of national culture around the world, but experts believe that in some countries, national values are not only not lost, but are also being revived. Even the worldwide network of McDonald's, spread around the world, takes into account the eating habits of the local population and offers dishes in accordance with local customs and preferences.