Globalization Has A Long History - 1578 Words

Introduction Globalization has a long history. According to National Geographic Society (2015), globalization grew when the Europeans began establishing colonies overseas. Many of the early European explorers were eager to spread the Christian religion to the regions they visited. â€Å"The globalization of Christianity spread from Europe to Latin America through Christian missionaries working with the local populations† (â€Å"Globalization,† 2015). Globalization was accelerated in the 19th century with the Industrial Revolution as mechanical mills and factories became more common. During this time, many companies used raw materials from distant lands and they also sold their goods in other countries (â€Å"Globalization,† 2015). Globalization sped up†¦show more content†¦Supporters stress the need to adapt to globalization, but opposers stress the need to resist it. Drivers of Globalization Today, people and companies are now doing business with others all over the world. The world market has opened up to the extent that you can do business with virtually anyone, regardless of geographic location. According to National Geographic Society (2015), â€Å"International trade is vital to the economies of most countries around the world.† Many countries have created free trade agreements with other countries to increase trade. Under free trade agreements, countries agree to remove trade barriers (â€Å"Globalization,† 2015). For example, â€Å"In 1994, the United States, Mexico, and Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which eventually ended all tariffs on trade goods between the three nations† (â€Å"Globalization,† 2015). This allowed globalization of goods and services, as well as people and ideas, between these three countries. The progression towards globalization has been around for centuries, but it really became noticeable in the early 1900’s with technological advances. During that period there was no collective worldwide integration and many of the global processes of that time were still one-dimensional (Hopper, 2006). In the latter part of the 20th century, innovation in information technology has been a major driving force in creating the