Lesson 2.3

Lesson 3 Intro

Lesson 3—Foundations and Legacies of Historical Globalization

What shaped the legacies of historical globalization?

Get Focused

Historians differ on when historical globalization actually began. It may have begun when Arab traders travelled to Asia in 100 CE. Many historians begin with the trade relationships that emerged after the Conquest of the Americas by Spain, Portugal, France, and England. Other historians formally acknowledge the nineteenth century as the starting point for historical globalization when the increased manufacturing and trade of goods globally created mass change in the societies of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.

The eighteenth century was a time period in Western Europe when many ideas emerged about how the economy should operate and how people should live and be governed. You will explore these ideas in this lesson and examine the legacies of the application of these ideas on the societies of both Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. Your work in Explore will gather understandings to these questions:

• What ideas, values, and beliefs formed the foundations of historical globalization?

• What were the legacies of historical globalization?

Assignment

Please complete your Philosophy of My Jeans Assignment Assignment now.

Lesson 3 Explore 1

Explore 1

What ideas, values, and beliefs formed the foundations of historical globalization?

The ideas, values, and beliefs that guide a person’s choice and purchase of jeans are not just individual views. You may be unaware that many of your consumer ideas and views have been shaped by the economic system in place. Many of Canada’s early trade relationships have reflected the ideas of mercantilism, imperialism, capitalism, and industrialization. Capitalism has become a contemporary force behind many economic and business policies.

Historical relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples were also based on these ideas. How did these ideas shape the foundations of historical globalization?

Multimedia (learn Alberta)

Click to view the values, beliefs and ideas in Two World Views in Foundations of Historical Globalization. Examine the development of mercantilism, capitalism, imperialism, industrialization, and eurocentrism.

Read

Read about mercantilism, the values behind capitalism, industrialization, the Industrial Revolution, imperialism, and eurocentrism on pages 132 to 152 in Perspectives on Globalization.

Lesson 3 - Explore 2

Explore 2

What were the legacies of historical globalization?

As cultural groups make contact and interact as peoples, impacts on culture, identity, and society can occur. Impacts to culture and identity may come to a group of people in the form of acculturation, accommodation, integration, marginalization, and/or assimilation. Impacts to society may be in the form of population change, technological advances, and/or the rise or decline of a society. These impacts can become legacies that are passed down through the generations and that continue to be issues in the lives of people today.

Assignment

Please complete Mapping the Exchanges and Legacies Assignment Assignment at this point.

Lesson Summary and Going Beyond

Lesson Summary

The emergence of historical globalization by the nineteenth century has its foundations in the world view of Western Europe. Mercantilism, capitalism, imperialism, industrialization, and Eurocentrism promoted ideas, values, and beliefs that created massive changes in the cultures and identities of Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. The economic, political, social, and cultural legacies of historical globalization have created issues that continue to demand responses today.

In the next module you will examine the consequences of these legacies and the effectiveness of responses by individuals and organizations to address these consequences.

Going Beyond

• The Columbian Oration – Research and post your view on this tribute to Christopher Columbus. You can find this document in the Online Reference Centre – History Study Centre at LearnAlberta.ca.

• Research poems and perspectives on Eurocentrism.

Assignment

Please complete the Challenge: Investigating the Event Assignment assignment now.

Section Summary and Glossary

Section 1 Summary

Your understandings of historical globalization are the basis of understanding that the cultural contact between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples had many historical reasons, motives, and perspectives. Many of the present-day economic, political, social, and cultural legacies are rooted in historical globalization. In Module 3 you will continue your exploration of these legacies by looking at their consequences.

Section 1 Glossary

Age of Discovery: a time period between the fifteenth to seventeenth century in which Europe undertook voyages to explore territories previously unknown to them; also referred to as the Age of Exploration

Americas: refers to the land of the Western Hemisphere (North America, Central America, and South America); also referred to as the New World in fifteenth-century European perspective

Capitalism:

• Capitalism is generally understood as an economic system based on these characteristics:
  
  
  • People have the right to private property.
  • The necessities of production, distribution, and ownership are in the hands of individuals and companies.
  • Individuals engage in economic activity primarily for profit.
  • Individuals compete to reach their economic goals.
  • Money is necessary for manufacturing and trade.
  • The acquisition of money means that profit was accumulated.

Conquest of the Americas: refers to the Spanish claim of most of the territories of the Western Hemisphere beginning in the fifteenth century

cultural contact: the meeting and possible exchange of knowledge, values, beliefs, and language between two distinct cultural groups

environment: the climate, soil, living things, and the social and cultural conditions

Eurocentrism: the world view that Europeans are superior to other cultures and groups; especially in comparison to the Indigenous peoples of the territories they conquered

First Contact: the initial meeting between two cultures; usually refers to the first meeting between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans in the Americas

historical globalization: refers to the time period of the first expansion of contact, connections, and trade between communities and individuals around the world

The Age of Discovery is often considered the historical global event that shaped historical globalization.

imperialism: the imposition of control over another group by military, social, cultural, and political force and the exploitation of peoples, land, and resources

Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples:

• Americas Indigenous peoples – refers to the original peoples of a region
• Non-Indigenous peoples – inhabitants who arrived and settled in the land of the original peoples
• Aboriginal peoples – defined by the Constitution Act (1982) to refer to Indian, Inuit, and Métis peoples of Canada
• First Nations – in 1980, all the chiefs in Canada adopted an Assembly of First Nations declaration to call their member nations “First Nations”
• Western Europeans – generally refers to members from countries such as England, France, Spain, Portugal
• Europeans – generally refers to members from the continent of Europe

industrialization: the transition from an agricultural-based economy to a manufacturing base; also refers to the transition from hand-made products to machine-made products

This is often an indicator of a highly developed country.

legacy: something passed on from the past

mercantilism: a policy of building the gold and silver wealth of a country through the sale of exports, strict trade regulations, and the sponsorship of colonial possessions

mutual benefit: an advantage for both sides

protocol: the set of rules that dictate behaviour

trade: to buy, sell, or exchange goods or services

tribute: a payment, tax, or tariff to another out of honour or obligation

Module Summary

Module Summary

The origins of the current process of globalization can be found in the early contact and trade relationships of the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries. These early contacts and connections may have been welcomed by Indigenous peoples or imposed by Europeans who travelled to lands previously unknown to Europeans. In many situations other aspects of the relationship emerged as the two groups interacted. The world views underlying these relationships were factors in how well the two groups related with each other and the presence or lack of equality between them. Many of the Western European ideas about capitalism, industrialization, and society impacted the relationships and led to the establishment of imperialism in the lands of Indigenous peoples, and they created legacies of challenges to Indigenous cultures, identities, and citizenship.

These legacies will be the foundation of Module 3, where you will examine the responses to the historical legacies of globalization and imperialism.

Assignment

You are now ready to complete your first essay.

Please go to Essay #1 Draft: To what extent did historical globalization affect people's lives? Carefully read through the instructions. Once you have completed the draft assignment please hand it in for marks. Once you receive my comments back, please complete your good copy of your first position paper.