THE globalization is one of the terms most frequently used to describe the current situation of the capitalist system and its consolidation in the world. In practice, it is seen as the total or partial integration between the different locations on the planet and the greater instrumentation provided by the communication and transport systems.
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But what exactly is globalization?
The concept of globalization is given in different ways according to the most diverse authors in Geography, Social Sciences, Economics, Philosophy and History who were based on its study. In an attempt to synthesize, we can say that globalization is understood as the integration with greater intensity of socio-spatial relationships on a world scale, instrumentalized by the connection between different parts of the globe terrestrial.
It is worth remembering, however, that this concept does not simply refer to an occasion or event, but to a process. This means to say that the main characteristic of globalization is the fact that it is constantly evolution and transformation, so that the global integration it generates is increasing throughout the time.
A century ago, for example, the speed of communication between different parts of the planet even existed, but it was much less fast and efficient than the of the present day, which, in turn, may be considered less efficient compared to the likely technical evolutions that will occur in the next decades. We can say, then, that the world is increasingly globalized.
The progress made in communication and transport systems, responsible for the advancement and consolidation of current globalization, provided an integration that happened in such a way that it made common the expression “global village”. The term "village" refers to something small, where all things are close together, which refers to the idea that global integration in the technical-informational environment has metaphorically turned the planet smaller.
The Origin of Globalization
There is no complete consensus on the origins of the globalization process. The term itself only came to be elaborated from the 1980s onwards, having a greater diffusion after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Cold War. However, there are many authors who argue that globalization began with the maritime-commercial expansion in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when the capitalist system began its expansion by world.
In any case, as we have already said, it gradually evolved, receiving substantial increments with the technological transformations brought about by the three industrial revolutions. In this case, the last one, also called Technical-Scientific-Informational Revolution, which began in the mid-twentieth century and is still in its occurrence. In this process, technical advances in the context of information systems were intensified, with emphasis on for the diffusion of electronic devices and the internet, in addition to a greater evolution in the means of transport.
Therefore, by way of synthesis, we can consider that, if globalization began approximately five centuries ago, it has been consolidated in a more elaborate and developed way over the last 50 years, from the second half of the 20th century in against.
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THEpositive and negative aspects of globalization
One of characteristics of globalization it is the fact that it manifests itself in the most diverse fields that support and make up society: culture, geographic space, education, politics, human rights, health and, above all, the economy. Thus, when a Chinese cultural practice is experienced in the United States or when a traditional manifestation African is revived in Brazil, we have evidence of how societies integrate their cultures, influencing each other mutually.
There are many authors who point out the problems and negative aspects of globalization, although there are many controversies and disagreements at the heart of this debate. In any case, it is considered that the main problem of globalization is a possible social inequality caused by it, in that power and income are mostly concentrated in the hands of a minority, which links the issue to the contradictions of the capitalism.
Furthermore, globalization is accused of providing an unequal form of communication between different territories, in which cultures, moral values, educational principles and others are reproduced obeying an ideology dominant. In this sense, according to these opinions, a hegemony is formed in which the main centers of power exercise control or a greater influence on economically less favored regions, thus obliterating their matrices traditional ones.
Between the positive aspects of globalization, it is common to mention the advances provided by the evolution of technological means, as well as the greater diffusion of knowledge. So, for example, if a cure for a serious illness is discovered in Japan, it is quickly spread (depending on the social and economic context) to different parts of the planet. Other points considered to be advantages of globalization are the greater commercial and investment diffusion, among several other factors.
It is clear that what can be considered as an advantage or disadvantage of globalization depends on the approach taken and also, to some extent, on the ideology employed in its analysis. Therefore, it is not the objective of this text to enter into the merits of the discussion in saying whether this process is beneficial or harmful to society and the planet.
Effects of Globalization
There are several elements that can be considered as consequences of globalization in the world. One of the most emblematic evidences is the configuration of the international geographic space in networks, be they transport, communication, cities, commercial exchanges or speculative capital. They are formed by fixed points – some being more predominant than others – and by the flows developed between these different points.
Another aspect that deserves to be highlighted is the business expansion multinationals, also called transnational or global companies. Many of them abandon their countries of origin or simply expand their activities towards the most diverse places in search of a greater consumer market, tax exemption, avoiding customs tariffs and raising a lower cost of labor and raw material. The expansion process of these global companies and their industries reverberated in the advance of industrialization and urbanization in several underdeveloped and emerging countries, including Brazil.
Another dynamic brought about by the advance of globalization is the formation of regional agreements or economic blocks. Although this occurrence may initially be considered as an obstacle to globalization, as regional agreements could impede a global interaction economic, it is fundamental in the sense of allowing greater commercial exchange between different countries and also providing conjunctural actions in groups.
Finally, it is noteworthy that the advance of globalization also culminated in the expansion and consolidation of the capitalist system, in addition to allowing its rapid transformation. Thus, with greater world integration, the liberal – or neoliberal – system has expanded considerably in most parts. of national economic policies, spreading the idea that the State should present a minimum intervention in the economy.
Globalization is, therefore, a complex issue, with countless aspects and characteristics. Its manifestation cannot be considered linear, in order to be more or less intense depending on the region where it is established, gaining new contours and characteristics. Thus, we can say that the world lives a wide and chaotic interrelationship between the local and the global.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/globalizacao.htm