The History of GlobalizationGlobalization is commonly b

Good morning, everyone. In today’s lecture we’re going to talk about globalization, which is a phenomenon that features very prominently in many aspects of today’s international business world. Many people mistakenly think of it as a very modern notion that did not exist until fairly recently. It is seen as a problem of the present and the future rather than the past. So I thought it might be interesting to begin our talk with a look at how writers through history have, in fact, discussed the ideas and problems associated with a global society.
    As long ago as 1841, Chateaubriand, one of the leading statesmen and writers in France, wrote about the notion of a "universal society". Just before his death he was particularly troubled by the idea and voiced several key fears. Firstly, he wondered about the consequences of a global society for the individual and, particularly, the many different ways in which different nations convey e-motion. He asked, since we feel and experience things at different times, in different ways and different climates, would it ever he possible to have only one language? If so, how could it incorporate this confusion of different needs? Similarly, he doubted whether it would ever be feasible to have one law or one government for all.
    Chateaubriand’s visions of the future were based, not on the technologies of the Internet and the airplane, hut rather on the telegraph, which revolutionized the communication system of the time, and of course steam, which opened up the world of business in a way that no other transport system had before. These technologies may seem very antiquated in today’s supersonic world, but the notions and problems they brought are the same as today.
    You may be surprised to learn that it was recently discovered that in Europe, between 1865 and 1871, a proposal was being put together to create one common, unified currency. The plans even progressed to the point of naming this new monetary system: it was to be referred to as the "Europe" , not dissimilar to the Euro, which was introduced not so long ago! It would seem that the proposal was only abandoned as a result of a depression which occurred in several European countries in the 1870s.
    And these are not the only references you’ll find through history to these so-called "modern" notions. Other writers such as Adam Smith, who was writing in the 18th century, were concerned a-bout the social implications of global communication and business. He and others were anxious a-bout the impact globalization would have on relationships between people around the world. So you see, many of the concerns we have today have existed for over a hundred years. Perhaps we can even learn something from their discussions and the approach that these writers took.