Textbooks and media in the past had told us that globalization was both inevitable and desirable. The main force that is propelled by globalization is in fact capitalism. Capitalism refers back to Adam Smith’s concepts in Wealth of Nations, which states that competitive advantage creates mutual benefits for each party engaged in the trade. At first, this trade happened on a local level, and as the world opens up through domination of capitalism and technological advances, the platform has enlarged at an alarming speed, creating the global village that we have today.

Rewind the clock back a few centuries. In the past, Britain was still largely a class society, where everyone was born into what they do, and what they do determined what they wore, what they ate, what their children will do in the future. (Day, 2012). Imperialism reigned and the kings or queens decided what was good not only for their own country, but also for some faraway places across the globe. Colonialism, in fact, is a form of globalization in an uglier context, defined by unfairness and exploitation. It does, however, begin to link the world together. Out of individual interest, European empires built the very first network of global trade in its African and American colonies.

From then on, it is much expected that globalization will continue to grow. As people gained knowledge of the mysteries outside the boundaries of their own land, the colonies realized that they were treated unfairly. There were hints of revolution here and there, while the empires struggled hard to hold on to the last grasp of power. At last, the empires collapsed and the colonies regained independence, but everyone has seen some of the most powerful effects of the world working together, regardless fair or not, this trend is bound to continue for the improvement and development of mankind as a whole.