Table of Contents
Introduction
This essay will primarily focus on the events that happened in the world between1500 to 1800. It is worth mentioning that history does play an important role as far as the current generation is concern who in this case did to experience the events that took place then. Of essence as far as this essay is concerned is to find out if the events that did take place during this period did bring any positive changes to the way that people live and interact today all over the world. The changes or rather the events that took place during this period rather are several. It is therefore important to admit only some of these events that will be discussed in this essay. What is significant in as far as this essay is concerned is discussion of what events that took place and as a results, the world became “smaller”.
By smaller, although it depends on how one looks at it or rather interprets it, according to the writer, this opened the way by which people communicate all over the world as well as doing businesses not only within the boundary of ones country but also without the boundaries of one countries(Croucher, p.10). In the discussion of this essay, of essence will also be to discuss or establish the consequences of these events to the stakeholders or rather those who were concerned in the changes in question. Also in this discussion will discuss the slavery which was being carried out by European countries. It involved oppression of other communities from other countries in the view that they were much more superior to others and they deserved to be worked for.
A word that needs to be introduced so that the reader of this essay can have a good understanding is ethno-centrism. This is a term which can be traced back to the time of decolonization and means the manner in which the entire world was being looked into based on the Europeans view. This also was based on the fact that the European culture was being seen as superior than the others (Beliaev and Korotayev, p.201). The term is therefore used by non-Europeans to criticize this perspective and its worth noting that it is hardly used by those whose perspective favor the supremacy of this culture.
Discussion
The world we live in currently has gone through a lot of changes to start with. This can be looked into as globalization whereby the world in its totality changed to an extent of being looked into as a “small village”. This is due to the fact that people all over the world can comunicate in real time no matter the geographical distance as well as do business where ever they may wish and with whomever they may wish to do business with. It has now become much more convenient to even establish market internationally, physically or even virtually.
It is worth admitting that this has come at a cost and can be traced back in the period ranging from 1500 to 1800.Though many events happened during this period such as slavery, colonialism as well as industrial revolution, it is important to appreciate the fact that these are some of the activities that saw the world that exist today(Beliaev and Korotayev, p.195). The events in question may have come at a cost but it due to them that we have the world we have today.
Most of the events that took place during this period and made the world to look “small” are events related to globalization. Global can be described as interconnections of places all over the world. Globalization on the other hand can be looked as an increase in both volume as well as scale of the global flows. This can be traced back in early 1500 when the world experienced the first movement of persons from the continent of Africa heading to the other continents. It started with travelling of short distances and then what followed were long distance traders and they always travelled with their products, services as well as their culture and customs. According to the study, it is prior to 1492 that persons started to interconnect as far as locations are concerned. What facilitated globalization were the emerging forms of communication as well as, emerging forms of transport as well as migration of people from one region to the other. For instance, slavery was and still is a good example.
It is between 1492 and 1498 that da Gama and Columbus travelled east and west to Indies .The main reason behind travelling this long was in an attempt of launching and an era of European seaborne territories (Beliaev and Korotayev, p.198). Then in1500, the Emperor Hongzhi of Chinese made or rather declared it a serous offence for a ship to sail into the sea having more than one mast without prior permission and eventually all ships were ordered to be vandalized by the officials of the Chinese. Again, the slave trade expanded rapidly in the 1650. This resulted in sustaining of the economy of the Atlantic. The end results were consolidated industrial or rather economic system all over the ocean. Europe then started realizing increased profits as a result of this.
It was the period betweeen1776 to 1789 that the French as well as US revolution was realized. This marked the establishment of the current state form supported by the consolidations between those interested in investing in businesses as well as military. The drive to get and combine assets due to the growth of economy resulted to more Dutch, British as well as French colonial who were militarized, hence realizing some improvement in Asia. The end results were that, the national empires enlarged in the period of industrial revolution, leading to struggles related to class, new thoughts as well as penetration of the resulting revolution in empires as well as in national states.
Having in mind the above events which happened in the world and subsequently led to globalization, it is now important to embark on the consequences of these events. In as far as the movement of people is concerned , when Africans moved to other places of the word , to some extent there was oppression especially by Europeans who saw them as properties to be owned by them as well as work for them(Hobson,p.30). The concept of colonialism comes in here and thus showing that, in the process of globalization, some of those involved like Africans in slave trade were affected by ethno-centrism since they were forced to work for Europeans who viewed their culture as well as themselves being superior than all the other people.
As far as the comparison of status of the world in 1850 and 1500 is concerned, it depends on the perspective by which one looks at it, the better things dominated the world after 1850 than it was in 1500.This is because after industrial revolution, slave trade, emergence of transport as well as communication systems were realized, hence there was increased economic improvement due to job creation, emergence of industries, emergence of financial markets just to mention but a few(Hobson,p.29). All these being the positive effects of globalization, there were also some negative effects such as European ethno-centrism as well as slavery.
