Globalization and

Making of a Global
World
Name: Samyak Jain
Class: 10th C
Roll No.: 31
INDEX
 Introduction to Globalization
 Impact on Economies, Societies, and Cultures
 The Pre – Modern World
 Silk Routes Link the World
 Food Travels: Spaghetti and Potato
 A World Economy Takes Shape
 Role of Technology
 Indentured Labour Migration from India
 Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad
 Wartime Transformations
 The Great Depression
 Post-war Settlement and the Bretton Woods Institutions
 The Early Post-war Years
 Decolonization and Independence
Introduction to Globalization
Globalization is the process of interaction
and integration among people,
companies, and governments of different
nations. It is driven by advancements in
technology, communication, and trade,
making the world more interconnected
and interdependent. Globalization allows
goods, services, ideas, and cultures to
move more freely across borders,
creating opportunities for collaboration
and exchange on a global scale.
Impact on Economies, Societies, and
Cultures
 Increased Trade and Investment:
Globalization has led to a significant
increase in international trade and
investment. Countries can specialize in
producing goods.
 Cultural Exchange: Globalization has
led to increased cultural exchange as
people from different parts of the
world interact more frequently.
 Language and Communication:
Globalization has led to the dominance
of certain languages as global lingua
franca, influencing communication.
The Pre – Modern World
Human societies have become increasingly
interlinked throughout history, with travelers,
traders, priests, and pilgrims traveling vast
distances for knowledge, opportunities, and
spiritual fulfillment. As early as 3000 BCE,
coastal trade linked Indus valley civilizations
with present-day West Asia. Cowries from the
Maldives found their way to China and East
Africa, and the long-distance spread of
disease-carrying germs can be traced back to
the seventh century.
 Silk Routes Link the World
Silk routes, a pre-modern trade and
cultural link, connected Asia with
Europe and northern Africa. They were
primarily driven by West-bound
Chinese silk cargoes, and have been
identified since before the Christian
Era. Other trade routes included
Chinese pottery, textiles, spices, and
precious metals like gold and silver.
Early Christian missionaries and
Muslim preachers also traveled along
these routes.
Food Travels: Spaghetti and
Potato
Food is a prime example of long-distance
cultural exchange, as traders and travelers
introduced new crops to distant lands. Foods
like spaghetti and noodles may have shared
common origins, possibly from China or Arab
traders. Common foods like potatoes, soya,
groundnuts, maize, tomatoes, chillies, and sweet
potatoes were not known to our ancestors until
about five centuries ago. These foods were
introduced in Europe and Asia after Christopher
Columbus discovered the Americas. Many of
these foods came from America's original
inhabitants, the American Indians. New crops
can sometimes make a difference in people's
lives, such as the potato.
A World Economy Takes Shape
In the 19th century, industrial Europe
faced lower living standards due to
food self-sufficiency. Population
growth and urbanization increased
demand for food grains, leading to
higher prices. The Corn Laws were
abolitioned, allowing cheaper imports.
As food prices fell, consumption
increased, leading to land clearing and
increased food production. By 1890, a
global agricultural economy emerged.
Role of Technology
The nineteenth-century world was transformed
by technological advancements like railways,
steamships, and the telegraph. However,
these advancements were often driven by
larger social, political, and economic factors.
For example, colonization stimulated
investments in transport, leading to faster
railways, lighter wagons, and larger ships.
This led to the trade in meat, which was once
an expensive luxury for the European poor.
The development of refrigerated ships
reduced shipping costs and meat prices,
allowing the poor to consume a more varied
diet.
Indentured Labour Migration from India
In the nineteenth century, Indian and Chinese
laborers migrated to work on plantations,
mines, and construction projects worldwide.
Many came from regions like eastern Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, central India, and Tamil Nadu.
As cottage industries declined, land rents rose,
and lands were cleared for mining and
plantations, many poor people fled to escape
poverty. Indentured workers faced harsh
conditions and few legal rights, but developed
new forms of self-expression and cultural
fusion.
Indian Entrepreneurs Abroad
Indian bankers and traders, such as
Shikaripuri shroffs and Nattukottai
Chettiars, financed export agriculture in
Central and Southeast Asia using their
own funds or borrowed from European
banks. They developed sophisticated
systems for money transfer and
established flourishing emboria at busy
ports worldwide, selling local and imported
goods to tourists.
 Wartime Transformations
The First World War was fought between the Allies
(Britain, France, Russia, and the US) and the
Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and
Ottoman Turkey). It was the first modern industrial
war, involving the use of massive weapons and
massive recruitment of soldiers. The war resulted in
9 million deaths and 20 million injuries, reducing the
able-bodied workforce and causing household
incomes to decline. Industries were restructured to
produce war-related goods, and societies were
reorganized for war.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression, lasting from 1929
to the mid-1930s, led to catastrophic
declines in production, employment,
incomes, and trade worldwide.
Agricultural regions were the worst
affected due to the prolonged fall in
agricultural prices. The depression was
caused by agricultural overproduction,
US overseas loans, and the US's attempt
to protect its economy by doubling
import duties.
Post-war Settlement and the Bretton
Woods Institutions
Inter-war economic experiences taught
economists and politicians two key lessons:
mass consumption requires stable incomes
and stable employment, and governments
must intervene to minimize fluctuations. The
post-war international economic system
aimed to preserve economic stability and
full employment in the industrial world,
established at the Bretton Woods
conference in 1944.
The Early Post-war Years
The Bretton Woods system led to
significant trade and income
growth for Western industrial
nations and Japan, with annual
trade growth of over 8% between
1950 and 1970, and stable growth,
despite low unemployment rates.
Developing countries invested
heavily in modern technology.
Decolonization and Independence
After World War II, most Asian and
African colonies emerged as
independent nations but faced
poverty and resource scarcity. The
IMF and World Bank were designed
to support industrial countries, but
as countries rebuilt, they shifted
focus to developing countries. The
Group of 77 demanded a new
international economic order.