Globalization Essay

Globalization is not a new phenomenon as it was introduced by the philosopher Hegel. The term became popular and widely used in 1980s in academic circles. Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among peoples, companies, and government of different nations. It is a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. Globalization is defined as “a social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding”(Waters, 1995, p. 3). According to Steger (2003), this process is referring to the transformation of present social conditions to the new global world. This process influenced the environment, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world. In general, globalization can be classified into three major types which are economic, cultural and political (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).

The first type of globalization is economic globalization. Since the second World War, many governments have adopted a free-market economic systems or free trade, which will increase their own potential in producing and creating new opportunities for the international trade and investment. Besides, the aim was to reduce tariff and the barrier in commerce and establish international agreements to promote trade in goods, services and investment. According to Steger (2003); during the 1950s, the purpose of economic globalization was to expand the economy fund in various industrial projects in developing countries around the world. Therefore, in 1947, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was being established as a global trade of organization that in charge with fashi...

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...through historical background of politics in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that depending on the liberal revolutions in Europe and America.

In conclusion, there are three major types of globalization and it involved the intensification and acceleration of social exchange and activities. Economic, cultural and political globalizations are the types of globalization that give impacts to the society and the world for that matter. Globalization has brought many advantages to people by providing high standard of living through economic development, large range of imported goods and free market. But, globalization was also made responsible for most of the world’s economic, financial and environmental problems such as, poverty, unemployment, job losses, and et cetera. All in all, globalization is a good way in transforming the present condition towards the better.