Globalization and Its Consequences

“Where globalization means, as it so often does, that the rich and powerful now have new means to further enrich and empower themselves at the cost of the poorer and weaker, we have a responsibility to protest in the name of universal freedom”. Nelson Mandela

Globalization has massively increased over the last century, shaping most of our way of living; being able to buy apricots at your local supermarket in winter or having an Italian dish for lunch and sushi at night… all this it’s possible due to the social integration of countries. However, globalization has an abundant economic influence too, and it can be seen as positive and negative respectively. Because of this, I agree to Mandela when arguing that when this interconnectedness empowers the rich and depowers the poor, it should be fought against.

Large companies with worldwide power, seeking an increase of wealth, do not tend to care about the conditions of their workers. Because of this, overexploitation has become a major issue of globalization. Entrepreneurs in third world nations find easy access to cheap labour in less developed countries, increasing their own profits and not allowing the weaker and less privileged to find better opportunities. Clothing brands such as Zara or H&M, are examples of these and it can be seen how the owners of this companies are part of the richest of the world; whilst proves of their employers being exploited come to light. When cases such as this ensue, it is our responsibility to denounce it.

Many of this corporations gain absurd influence over markets, and over governments as a natural consequence. This allows and enrichment of the most powerful under the cost of the poorer, negating a possible balance between social classes. Looking back at the roots of globalization, this can be extensively seen when European countries started to enhance their economic stability by exploiting the African and South-American civilisation: The type