The Effects of World War II on Globalization - Essay Example

Globalization Introduction This paper aims to study the effects of World War II on globalization. It will be subsequently related to the Bi polar world and the conflicts in which USA was directly involved. Globalization has its roots into the World War II on the basis of the technological developments and technical tendencies available at that time (Horowitz). Moreover, there are different military and economic causes which persuaded the world powers to enter into the era of globalization. For instance, soon after the World War II the trade policy of majority countries was changed and most importantly Japan emerged as the prominent automobile dealer around the globe. Bi polar world is another concept which appeared in the same era. During the time of Second World War there were two superpowers including Soviet Union and United States of America. Both of them were having cold war i.e. they was evaluating each others’ nuclear powers and the destructive capacities (The Bipolar World). Specifically the world was divided into two segments each dominated by one superpower and all the third world countries were actually forced to join either of them. Hence various conflicts began and USA was involved in most of them, for instance, Korean War, Vietnam War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Grenada, Persian Gulf War etc. (American History Timeline) Literature Review In the article ‘Restarting Globalization after World War II’ Horowitz critically analyzes the circumstances in which Second World War was initiated. He argues that after two World Wars, great depression and cold war the international trade and finance was significantly impacted (Horowitz). Hence it was expected that the world was about to enter globalization in order to cover up all the lost resources, land and human capital. Five major countries which were involved in the development of trading economics were United States of America, Britain, Japan, France and the Federal Republic of Germany (Horowitz). Horowitz also states that the military and structural changes taking place all over the world affected the initial conditions of the post World War II environment. Consequently broader public opinions were developed and people became more and more interested in political processes and trade policies. Alteration in the coalition patterns during the wars, absorption of legislative powers, international economic institutions and the economic ideologies actually formed the later concepts of globalization (Horowitz). Here, it is important to understand that how wars can influence trade. Firstly, it is impacted by trade-diversion and direct production between the rival groups. Once the war is ended then there is an increase in aggregate supply as compared to aggregate demand. Moreover, during a war much of the resources are shifted from the trading sector to the production of war equipments and other necessary tools. This deficit is later covered up by the neutrals. Since Second World War had significantly used the resources of all the involved countries therefore it was necessary to increase production which ultimately resulted in globalization (Horowitz). Wenger and Zimmerman have conducted extensive research on ‘International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World’. In the book authors have argued that the world was not exposed to the major political and economic changes after the event of 11 September, 2001 rather that was only a display of complex world situation. The actual conflicts were actually arisen after the Second World War in 1945 (Wenger). Although after the end of Second World War and Cold War the world entered into the globalized twenty-first Century where security policy played the most important role. In the later part of 1900 the idea of security policy was developed beyond the pure military concept where it included all the political and economic issues and the cultural and social concerns (Wenger). The authors have suggested that the international relations can be better understood within a particular time context. This actually impacted the entire research of authors and their interpretation of the events which took place in the last fifty years. When the world was undergoing severe ideological changes influenced by ethnic and religious approaches just then globalization gave a new momentum to the neoliberal economic situation. This subsequently increased the power of multinational corporations and the world became to shrink due to immense connectivity and later mass communication (Wenger). Revolution in information technology also played a major role in supporting the idea of globalization. Hence the command markets were developed in to free market economies. This actually intensified the division of have and have-not in the third world countries (Wenger). ‘A Road Map to War: Territorial Dimensions of International Conflict’ is a renowned book authored by Paul Francis Diehl in which he has critically assessed the international conflicts. The role of territories is important to understand and analyze the impact of World War II on globalization (Diehl). Territory has always been a center of attention with respect to the international conflicts and World Wars. For instance, every territory has some ethnic and religious composition which constitutes its population and the general political and cultural ideology (Diehl). Apart from this, territories have great prestige due to the historical backgrounds and association to a renowned civilization. Author further argues that major historical conflicts were exposed due to the involvement of symbolic values with the land. Analysis Horowitz’s research has found to be more beneficial as compared to other researches. This is primarily because of the fact that Horowitz has addressed the financial and economic issues which were exposed after the end of great depression era. Moreover, he has emphasized over the military changes which increased the interest of people in politics and trade. Subsequently he has explained the impact of wars on trade and how this led to globalization. ‘International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World’ suggests that the world already entered in the globalized era after the end of cold war. Extensive security concerns, advanced trade policies and the initiation of multinational corporations were the actual foundations of globalization. This eventually impacted the later international relations and the general human life. Paul Francis Diehl has given comparatively more importance to territories in his research which is beneficial in understanding the role of bipolar world and the conflicts in which USA was involved. Socio-economic characteristics actually motivated superpowers to invade different lands which form the foundation of wars and major international clashes. The bipolar world had huge concerns against one another. Both the allies of Soviet Union and United States of America were attacking each others’ territories whereas security became the most significant issue. I agree with the previous conducted researches. However, if I was supposed to investigate this matter into great detail then I must have considered the religious impacts on the two World Wars which later gave rise to globalization. I must have addressed the questions pertaining to regional conflicts, cultural and social differences among the bipolar forces. The topic of globalization is highly comprehensive and requires a lot more research in order to understand the present political and socio-cultural environment. Moreover, its significance rises when it is studied alongside the impacts of World Wars. All of this information will be beneficial for readers in comprehending the impact of history over the contemporary world. Conclusion On the basis of above research and discussion it can be concluded that current era of globalization was initiated by the two World Wars, Cold War, great depression, security concerns, mass communication and the socio-economic importance of territories. However, World War II had the most significant impact as it converted the world into bipolar form. Consequently, USA got involved in major international conflicts. Works Cited American History Timeline. American History. 1998. Web. 18 Feb 2014. Diehl, Paul Francis. A Road Map to War: Territorial Dimensions of International Conflict. USA: Vanderbilt University Press, 1999. Horowitz, Shale. "Restarting Globalization After World War Ii Structure, Coalitions, And The Cold War." Comparative Political Studies (2004): 127-151. The Bipolar World. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. 2006. Web. 18 Feb 2014. Wenger, Andreas & Zimmerman, Doron. International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World. USA: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2003. Read More