Essay Globalisation

Outline the development and history of globalisation and discuss its advantages and disadvantages.

Globalisation represents the worldwide movement towards global economic, cultural and
technological integration. It is primarily an economic process, but it also includes social and cultural
aspects. The final purpose of it is to create a world in which countries and nations worldwide become
interconnected for meeting their needs.

This is not a new concept. In antiquity, people traveled long distances to buy rare products such
as salt, spices and gold, which they would then sell in their home countries. The Industrial Revolution
of the 19th century brought advances in communication and transportation that removed borders and
increased cross-border trade. Nowadays, due to globalisation it looks as if the entire world had grown
up as one nation and every person on earth had become a global citizen.

Globalisation is a complex issue, and therefore it is deeply controversial. In my essay, both sides
of this problem will be presented and, in the end, I will state my own opinion on this matter.

On the one hand, the proponents of globalisation are of the opinion that this process helps poor
countries improve their conditions and their standard of living, by increasing manufacturing,
diversification and economic expansion. The free trade that comes with it makes it possible for
countries to reduce barriers such as tariffs and value added taxes and therefore it lowers prices for
the customers, it makes companies more competitive and thereby it helps create new jobs for the
people. Gradually, a worldwide market for companies and consumers who have access to products
from different countries is created. For example, the majority of the people in the world can buy a
Samsung product, drink a German beer and own a MacBook.

One other advantage of this movement is that it broadens our perspective by creating a world in
which people can feel like they belong to one nation, and that is humankind. By having the possibility
of travelling freely to many countries, people get the chance to compare their own countries with
others in the world. This aspect can make them understand other manners, habits and customs. Thus,
the world’s culture becomes richer and people start understanding and tolerating their fellow human
beings. On a higher level, globalisation has contributed to improving international relations and
communication among different nation, which is an important factor in order to keep peace and
freedom in the world. This way countries were given the possibility of being part of different
agreements and organisations like NAFTA, the TPP, UN or the ICC.

Additionally, the increasing access to new technology and information has allowed mass media
to travel all around the world and share vital information with everyone. Thus, third world countries
have their chance to improve both economically and politically, because now they have a way to
implement democracy and human rights. Moreover, there are many NGOs and charities that are both
now able to launch campaigns in order to help these countries develop. They have had a high rate of
succes in combating social issues like poverty or child labour. Other aspects handled by these
organisations are promoting education and combating illiteracy which helped many people to go to
school and find their real intellectual value.

On the other hand, the environment is suffering greatly because globalisation. The well
developed countries are taking advantage of the poorer countries because of their weak regulations
and one of the main problems is the environmental pollution caused by the poisonous gases released
into the air by the large factories. Further, forests have been cut for setting up large industries. This
way, globalisation has contributed to global warming, climate change and the overuse of natural
resources.
 Moreover, globalisation determined the large corporations to seek cheap labour, which resulted
in unfair working conditions, including slave wages and harsh working environments. Because of the
specialisation of labour, there are now huge disadvantages for the unskilled workers, who now have a
smaller range of opportunities when it comes to finding an workplace. In addition to that, it killed
competition between rich and poor countries, and therefore it increased the gap between the social
classes, by allowing wealthy people to exercise more control over the national resources through the
application of science and technology.

In addition to this, the culture of many nations and groups is endangered. Being attracted by the
culture of developed nations, many people in the under-developed countries have shed their
traditional dress, food and rituals. That is why many communities are failing to preserve their
traditions, customs and culture in general. No wonder that the majority does not know, for example,
African music or Chinese movies.

However, I am of the opinion that globalisation can develop into a good thing, if handled
correctly. I believe that in the course of time the problems concerning poor countries will be reduced
and the other issues, like global warming or social injustice will be taken care of, because we can
already observe a lot of progress in many areas. All in all, I love the idea of becoming more
understanding about other cultures and nations by having the possibility of travelling everywhere we
want to. We all need a whole lot of tolerance and love in order to survive and become prosperous in
this society, in which we are citizens of the world and a part of the wonderful global community.