History of globalization

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Although the process known as globalization has visibly taken hold during the twentieth century, the history of globalization has distinct historical antecedents. From the dawn of humanity, the world has grown increasingly integrated. Despite the admittedly fluid nature of history, a number of historians have divided the process of globalization into sections.

• Archaic globalization
• Proto globalization
• Modern globalization

Contents 1 The Mongol Empire 2 The Ottoman Empire 3 The Portuguese Empire 4 The Spanish Empire 5 The Dutch Empire 5.1 Dutch Reformed Church 5.2 VOC or Dutch East India Company 5.3 Merchant Warriors 5.4 New Amsterdam 6 The British Empire 6.1 British East India Company 7 The French Empire 8 Authors and citations 8.1 Alfred Crosby 8.2 John Weaver 8.3 Phillip Curtin 8.4 Michael Adas 8.5 John Thornton 8.6 Jared Diamond 9 External links

The process of globalization is influenced by a number of empires. Of the most note are:

[edit] The Mongol Empire

The Mongol Empire is widely known as the most prolific of the great 'mixers of peoples'. This nomadic people spread from Northern China and Eastern Russia to encompass much of the Eurasian landmass. Under the rule of Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire embraced no specific moral code or religious programme. Under Mongol authority the "Silk Road" trade routes, linking a number of civilizations, flourished.

[edit] The Ottoman Empire

[edit] The Portuguese Empire

The Portuguese were widely involved in trade around the horn of Africa into Asian waters in premodern times. By establishing trade enclaves and spreading a trade diaspora, the Portuguese expanded to trade in much of the Indian Ocean, and well beyond thus opening trade routes at a planetary level that, up until them were impossible. The expansion of the Portuguese Empire all the way to Japan allowed the exchange of cultural characteristics between civilizations in opposite sides of the globe. The empire's expansion lead to the creation of new trade concepts and laws.

[edit] The Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire established trade routes and territories across the Atlantic and Pacific. The intellectual developments at the School of Salamanca and debates, most notably that of Valladolid, were among the most important early efforts to grapple with the ethical and legal implications of these developments.

[edit] The Dutch Empire

[edit] Dutch Reformed Church

The Dutch merchant fleets were obliged to deny other religions from creating churches and insulting the Dutch Reformed Church in any way on Dutch land and ships. As Geoffrey Parker mentions, although the Dutch did not allow religious pluralism on their ships and land, they had to be prudent in censoring other religions since the Dutch Naval and Merchant fleets were largely composed of foreign men (German, etc). So, even though other religions were denied open recognition and not allowed to insult the Dutch Reformed Church, the Dutch government couldn't very well force people of varying backgrounds to their way of thinking without serious internal problems that might have impeded trade.

[edit] VOC or Dutch East India Company

[edit] Merchant Warriors

In a chapter entitled "Rise of the Merchant Empires", Geoffrey Parker describes how the rise of merchant empires roughly coincides with the advent of 'modern history'.

[edit] New Amsterdam

[edit] The British Empire

[edit] British East India Company

[edit] The French Empire

[edit] Authors and citations

The following is a selection of authors pertinent to the history of globalization.

[edit] Alfred Crosby

Alfred Crosby has written a number of works on Globalization and its historical antecedents. Of particular note is Ecological Imperialism which chronicles the spread of biota with merchants and explorers in the process of global integration.

[edit] John Weaver

John Weaver is a professor of history at McMaster University. He is the author of The Great Land Rush, and other selected titles in Canadian and global history. The Great Land Rush discusses the creation and extension of property rights in the frontier areas of colonizing regions. Weaver discusses the various conditions for settlers, speculators, and squatters on the frontiers of Australia, Canada, the United States, Russia, and South America.

[edit] Phillip Curtin

Phillip Curtin is a prolific writer on the history of the Atlantic world and historical roots of globalization. He has also written on the plantation complex and slavery.

[edit] Michael Adas

Of particular note to the discussion of Globalization is Adas' Machines as the Measure of Men in which he discusses the varying degree to which technological and scientific achievement served to differentiate Europeans from their global counterparts. This book looks specifically at the relationships between Europe and Africa, India, China, and Japan. As Adas' implies, the relationships were ones of unequal strength. As time went on, the European powers quickly realized that they held the upper hand in scientific and technological achievements. (work in progress)

[edit] John Thornton

John Thornton has written widely on the Atlantic slave trade and Africa's role in slavery. One of his books, Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400-1800 is typical of his excellent work on the subject of African history.

[edit] Jared Diamond

Jared Diamond is widely known for Guns, Germs, and Steel. This book discusses the development of humanity through a scientific-historical viewpoint. Diamond employs ecological determinism to explain how certain peoples developed in different ways from each other. He looks at the ecological endowment of each region of the world where humans developed largely distinctly at first. Throughout Guns, Germs and Steel, Diamond explains how there are proximate and ultimate causes for certain regions and peoples to develop in certain ways. In terms of proximate reasons, Diamond proposes that socio-political decision-making played a secondary role in the development of human peoples. The more determinant factors, according to Diamond, are ultimate factors. The ultimate factors include animal-vegetable-mineral resources in the proximity of development. Also, the spread of these materials could speed up or slow down development.

[edit] External links

• YaleGlobal Online - History of Globalization