APWH Unit 9: Globalization

technological advances

• communication:  television, radio, phone, social media/internet; reduce distance between people

• transportation: commercial air/sea travel

• medical innovations: antibiotics (ex. penicillin), birth control, vaccines (polio, smallpox, tetanus, etc)

• energy tech: both nonrenewable (petroleum, natural gas) and renewable (nuclear, wind, solar)

• agricultural advancement (green revolution)

green revolution

major agricultural advancements inc food production to feed higher populations

• crossbreeding, genetic engineering, inc farmland; develop new higher-yield + pest-resistant grain

• irrigation methods, fertilizers, pesticides, mechanized equipment

  • some smaller farmers can’t afford = fewer farming jobs = rise of commercial farming

• env impacts: destroyed land, dec species diversity, lack of sustainability for inc populations

causes of environmental change

• population growth

  • inc cropland demand + overfarming -> desertification

  • overfishing

  • water consumption

• urbanization/industrialization

  • inc energy/resource demand

  • deforestation bc urban sprawl + farmland

  • pollution: greenhouse gas emissions; deforestation -> carbon trap loss + erosion = toxic runoff

• overall careless and wasteful use of resources, ex. water, oil, trees, etc.

effects of environmental change

• resource depletion: fewer natural gases, fewer trees, water scarcity

• atmosphere: declined air quality, global warming/climate change

• inc environmental awareness + attempts to reduce carbon footprint

  • development of renewable energy methods

  • Kyoto Protocol: developing countries should reduce their carbon output

  • Paris Agreement against global warming

  • climate activism: Green Party, Green Belt Movement, Greenpeace, Earth Day

• arguments that global warming is natural phenomena

  • industries don’t want to slow their production bc less money

  • developing nations have less chance to improve economic standing through industry as many current highly-developed countries did previously

global health crises

• poverty conditions (crowding, contaminated water, limited healthcare), esp in developing countries, contribute greatly to disease + highlight ongoing disparities

  • malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, polio

• global epidemics: spanish flu (1918 brought home by soldiers post wwi), HIV/AIDS (depresses immune system), ebola, covid-19

• longevity diseases: heart disease, alzheimer’s

globalization

global interaction between people/gov/companies, increase integration of global economy/culture

• sharing/blending of popular culture, esp in entertainment (bollywood, reggae music, kpop, anime)

  • western (esp US) cultural dominance (cultural imperialism/americanization)

• spread of consumer culture

  • multinational corporations (apple, mcdonalds, google) + online retail (temu, ebay, alibaba)

• sports (Olympics, World Cup) = cultural understanding + togetherness but also promotion of nationalism

• social media furthers connection

positive effects of globalization

• massive economic growth -> better living standards + healthcare, widespread education/literacy

• movements for human rights

negative effects of globalization

• harsh working conditions: child labor, few breaks/holidays, unsafe infrastructure, low wages

• env damage: deforestation, greenhouse gases

• harm small local businesses: fewer advantages than corporations

• international economic orgs (IMF, world bank) tend to favor the rich

• threaten national sovereignty (ex. Brexit debates, some want britain to leave European Union bc they believe it hinders them)

resistance to globalization

• arguments regarding international economic orgs’ marginalization of some in favor of others

  • “Battle of Seattle” protests at WTO conference, distrust bc of their power and closed meetings; beginning of larger anti-globalization movements

• some states resist social media’s spread of globalized culture

  • CN replacement of all social media w Weibo, believed they create unrest (ex. minority Uighur riots)

gender equality reform

• expansion of women’s literacy, higher education, suffrage in many areas

• convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women

• UN first world conference on women

racial equality reform

• US: Civil Rights Act (no disc based on race/color/religion/sex/origin), Voting Act, desegregation

• end of apartheid (enforced racial segregation) in south africa

  • African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela imprisonment, peaceful protests, UN expulsion

• india caste reservation: reduce disc against certain marginalized groups (ex. dalits), reserve certain number of seats in education/politics

cultural/religious movements

• Negritude Movement: black pride, colonial france rejection, self-determination (french west af)

• Liberation theology: socialist/catholic; freedom from economic/political/social abuse, concern for marginalized, reject oppressive power structures

free market economy

based on supply/demand, minimal gov interference; laissez faire

• economic liberalization: opening a country’s economy/trade restrictions

• neoliberalism: free market policies like lowering tariffs, deregulation, privatization

• supported by Reagan (US), Thatcher (brit prime minister), Augusto Pinochet (chile dictator), Deng Xiaoping (CN)

knowledge economy

dependent on information/knowledge-intensive activities (ex. engineers, teachers) rather than the production of goods

ex. Finland + JP + asian tigers (HK/Singapore/SK/TW) grow through tech/innovation/education investments

shifting manufacturing

industrial production in knowledge economies dec, manufacturing now mainly carried out in asia/latin america (new global distribution of work)

• ex. clothing exports in Vietnam; Bangladesh, Mexico, Honduras

• most powerful no longer means most industrialized

• save money by manufacturing in a foreign place for lower wages

multinational corporations

corporations legally incorporated in one country that makes/sells goods in others

• knowledge economy administrates, industry produces, corporation sells on global market

• ex. Mahindra & Mahindra, Nestle

• early version: joint-stock companies

transnational free trade organizations

• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

• regional: European Union (EU) (remove mutual economic barriers, merge into one powerful economic unit), Mercosur, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• GATT, WTO

United Nations

international organization for preventing conflicts/world war and facilitate global cooperation

• more effective version of league of nations

• six main bodies; big ones are General Assembly (representative members discuss/make policy) and Security Council (keep peace, act on issues)

  • controversy over veto power of five permanent members of security council, which has been used in the past for personal interests

• protection of human rights

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • orgs for human rights: World Food Program (WFP), UN Educational Scientific, and Cultural Org (UNESCO), World Health Org (WHO), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Human Rights Watch (HRW), etc.

international economic orgs

• World Bank: fight poverty by giving countries loans for infrastructure/social projects for promoting economic development/sustainable growth

• International Monetary Fund (IMF): help country economies by promoting stable currency exchange rates, providing loans/advice

• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): lifted restrictive trade barriers (reduced tariffs 40→5%)

• World Trade Organization (WTO): took over GATT, made rules governing trade; promote global trade through negotiation/moderation of deals/disputes

controversy over the power of these orgs and their tendency to prioritize trade over morals, being run by large corporate interests

international conflicts

• Persian Gulf War: UN sent forces to drive Iraq out of Kuwait (had invaded under Saddam Hussein to gain oil reserves)

  • Hussein remained a dictator until 2003; new democratic gov + constitution formed amidst section conflicts/violence

• Taliban (islamic fundamentalist) came to power in Afghanistan after its struggles against attempted soviet coups, protected Osama bin Laden (leader of Al Qaeda, responsible for 9/11 attacks)

• other islamic terrorist groups include ISIS, Boko Haram