2.2 Historical Globalization


How did historical globalization and imperialism shape today's world?

Perspective on historical globalization


Since earliest times, the quest for new resources and wealth has dominated human history. Different cultures have come into contact with each other as they sought to gain access to new markets and resources. Sometimes this contact was peaceful, but often violence marked the contact.

The first peoples traveled in search of food: roots, berries, buffalo, caribou, and other wild game. Sometimes whole communities relocated in search of better or safer locations. As people moved, they came into contact with others who had different ways of life. This cultural contact sometimes caused conflict, but it also often enriched people's lives as they learned new technology and ways of living. In this way, globalization has been with us for a very long time!

This early contact might have been initiated by the desires of one's culture or leader to dominate other areas to help grow the wealth of their nation, but also to create greater glory. Later, with the coming of liberalism—the idea that humans should be equal and free to pursue economic growth without government influence—expansion of colonialism resulted in even greater imperialism. The irony of this was that while liberalism spoke of freedom, New Imperialism had an elitist attitude. Imperialism was rationalized by the ideas of Social Darwinism which stressed that it was the duty of the "stronger" culture to bring their benefits to the "weaker" culture.

As societies developed, more reasons arose for people and nations to increase their contact with other peoples and countries.

For Power


Many great empires extended their powers through military expansion. The Persian Empire arose in what today is modern Iran. It was one of the first to expand east, then across the Middle East, then west into Africa (absorbing Egypt), and finally into Asia Minor. It extended its power over many of the Greek states along the coast and then crossed into Europe.


Later, Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BC) used the military force that his father, Phillip of Macedon, created to complete the conquest of Greek city states before setting on a course to conquer the Persian Empire. In a series of battles, he managed to defeat the Persian forces. After he had completed this tremendous feat, he extended his empire into India.

Alexander helped to increase cultural contact for many nations. He was one of the first true empire builders, or imperialists, as he expanded his territory.

In the 1100s, an even bigger empire was formed by Temuchin, better known as Genghis Khan. He was able to conquer the warring tribes of Mongolia before the horsemen of his Golden Horde began the conquest of the largest continuous empire the world has ever seen.

The Mongol empire eventually extended from China into Russia. Within this empire, trade routes were protected, and trade moved freely between cultures. Along with trade, people and new technologies moved, and cultures absorbed new ways of doing things.