Throughout the twentieth century, which aspect of culture was the marker of global modernity?
Show
Photograph of the earth from space. Source: NASA on Unsplash. Globalization is the process of growing interaction between different parts of the world economically, culturally, and politically. Before the 1900s, the pace of global development had been accelerating rapidly for centuries, but the 20th century brought unparalleled change. By 2000, the world looked entirely different than it had a century earlier. No aspect of human life was left untouched, as advances in technology, transportation, trade, and communications transformed the world's political, cultural, and economic face. Advances in medicine and public health saw the world population triple in this time, as capitalism shaped the growing world economy. Timeline of Globalization
Causes of Globalization in the 20th Century
EconomyThe process of globalization altered everything from technology and trade to international relations, as well as social and cultural development. Capitalism became the dominant economic system and shaped the way people all over the world live and work. The predominance of capitalism, which fueled the economic power of countries like the United States, brought about the dominance of Western nations throughout the 20th century. By the end of the century, the growing economic power of Eastern countries like China and India posed a challenge to the considerable power of the West. Monetary and trade organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization grew out of a need to oversee the exchange of goods, resources, and money, as developments in industry and transportation allowed this exchange to happen rapidly on a global scale. Politics and Human RightsUNICEF Field Visit Malawi. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Cultural and informational exchange allowed for populations in entirely different parts of the world to interact and inform each other, and for social and human rights movements to spread with unprecedented speed. Organizations such as the United Nations took on the task of moderating new and contentious relationships between nations and regulating global standards for health and human rights. Globalization also brought with it an increase in international conflict, as the interests of nations began to clash on a larger scale. It became easier for nations to interfere and intervene in foreign conflicts that they were not directly involved in. With all of these changes came an increased questioning in belief systems, as religions across the world interacted and societies became more secular. The debate on the role of religion in government found a widening audience and democratic processes all over the world shifted. Inequality and Global WarmingGlobalization arguably increased global inequality as corporations exploited cheap labor in the South, while growing the economies of the West. This led to larger discussions of wealth inequality and international exploitation, and greater consciousness of issues central to poorer, less powerful countries. Advances in transportation and resource extraction, along with free-market capitalism, also led to accelerated environmental change and to an unprecedented human-caused increase in global-warming. CultureCultural exchange led to the Westernization of culture in much of the world, so that an American TV show or style of dress could be popular in a country with a very different culture and history. This was facilitated by the movement of people, information, and goods. Immigration and emigration increased worldwide, leading to more and more multiculturalism within nations. Interracial marriage became common and accepted, adding to the process of cross-cultural exchange. Early 20th Century GlobalizationThe first wave of globalization is considered to have taken place prior to 1914, beginning in 1800, after the early globalism that occurred during the Age of Exploration. This wave came to an end with the First World War. The World Wars brought with them disaster on a global scale. The positive effects of globalization that the world had been enjoying found their end in conflict, destruction, and the loss of millions of lives. Economies of some countries crashed due to the wars, while other countries profited off of them, and were even lifted out of economic depressions. The terrible wake of the wars called for an increase in cooperation for international peace and economic prosperity, leading to the formation of many organizations intended to create and maintain stability. Global OrganizationsPhotograph of the United Nations flag, taken by Mark Aristos in 2008. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Examples of Globalization in the 20th CenturyTransportation is the industry that connects other industries ... it is the key to globalization." -Lawrence H. Summers, Secretary U.S. Department of Treasury, 2010 20th century globalization has made a mark on every aspect of modern life. These are some of the areas in which globalization can be most keenly felt:
Photograph of a banner reading "Capitalism plunders" at the G20 Meltdown protest in London in 2009. Photographer: Jamie Davies. Source: Wikimedia Commons. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ Impact of Globalization in the 20th Century
ConclusionIn the 20th century, the process of globalization accelerated from the pace seen throughout the industrial revolution. Over the course of a single century, the globe experienced extreme transformation, leading to a world in which no nation is independent, and in which the actions and economies of each one affects the others. While the positive outcomes of globalization are undeniable, the increasingly complex relationships between nations, and the dominance of capitalism, have led to massive international conflicts and environmental destruction. 20th century Globalization - Key Takeaways
What are the aspects of modernity?Definitions and Characteristics of Modernity. Rise of the nation state.. Growth of tolerance as a political and social belief.. Industrialization.. Rise of mercantilism and capitalism.. Discovery and colonization of the Non-Western world.. Rise of representative democracy.. Increasing role of science and technology.. Urbanization.. What is the culture of modernity?What is cultural modernity? Simply put, this term is used to imply a point in human evolution when people became like us. Implicit in this definition is the view that all living people are cognitively equal regardless of their physical appearance or the kind of technology they use.
What does global modernity mean?“Global modernity” refers to the contemporary condition of modernity. It is best understood as a “singular modernity” that produces contradictory claims on modernity. It is intended as a concept to overcome a teleological bias in the term “globalization” which suggests progress toward global unity and homogeneity.
What is the origin of modernity?Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular socio-cultural norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the Renaissance—in the "Age of Reason" of 17th-century thought and the 18th-century "Enlightenment".
|