Globalisation Assignment

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Globalisation Assessment Task 3: Research Essay
Question 1: Why can European colonialism be seen as an earlier form of Globalisation?

Colonialism is defined as the exploitation of a weaker country by a stronger country with the goal of strengthening and enriching the resources of the dominant country. European colonialism of its last five centuries shared similarities with other previous colonialisms such as the Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks and the Romans, but differed greatly from them (Macqueen 2007). Mainly, because European colonialism was not focused and centered in a single region but shared and spread its religion, culture, economic, technology and political systems throughout the world during the colonial period all at the same time being highly competitive and ambitious throughout (Gillen & Ghosh 2007). European colonialism had left some positive and negative legacies and the effects of both can be felt today in the modern world, even long after its fall in the 1950s. European colonialism is often perceived as an earlier form of globalisation because it was an early expression of the tendencies toward exploration, trade, and control that continues to emerge as the driving forces of globalisation today (Gopinath 2008).

Trade and economic
In the 15th century, rulers of Portugal and Spain financed the voyages of discovery that lead to the globalisation that we know and understand today, which is a direct descendant of colonisation and economic imperialism (Gopinath 2008). Their initial motivations were missionary and exploratory zeal but eventually, greater control and power lead to the desire of gold and riches aided by the ideology of mercantilism (Gopinath 2008). At the same time, the European n...

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... traditions and beliefs. Besides that, another major driving force of colonialism was religion. By moving to distant places, believers help religion to globalise all over the world.

Conclusion
To conclude, trade and economic systems of the European colonialism was a blessing that generated a rich and turbulent intellectual life that contributed to the accelerating global transformation that lay ahead. Colonisation integrated economies and culture and gave structure to the sharing that the earlier periods did not. From the 14th to 20th centuries, trade, expansionism and religion stirred up nations and redrew boundaries. Empires were built, societies were made, items were exchanged. European Colonialism has contributed greatly to lay seeds which bear into the globalisation today. Most certainly, European colonialism is one of the earlier forms of globalisation.

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