Is globalisation merely imperialism by another name?

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Is globalisation merely imperialism by another name?

In our modern society the distance between individual nations is becoming smaller and gradually less important. As international trade and investment grow, the economies of these nations are becoming more integrated. This phenomenon has been labelled as globalisation.

On the surface, globalisation seems like the most favourable path for the evolution of society, yet it can be argued that eventually the economy will be controlled by a few major organisations, remaining more powerful than any government or the vote of general public. However this has been the situation for many indigenous people across the world from as far back as the 13th century. Throughout history dominant nations have been advancing their own civilizations through exploiting the land, labour, raw materials and markets of weaker nations. This process of capitalist engulfment is known as imperialism. But is this the same as globalisation?

There are many similarities between globalisation and imperialism. Firstly, the basic aim of globalisation, for a firm or nation, is to invest and gain a profit, and although early imperialism may have involved elements of discovery and territorial power, turning the resources of the oppressed nation into money became the key motive.

On this level globalisation and imperialism seem very alike.

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Political theoretician Michael Parenti has this to say on capitalist imperialism:

“Capitalist imperialism invests in other countries, transforming and dominating their economies, cultures, and political life, integrating their financial and productive structures into an international system of capital accumulation.”

~ Against Empire, Chapter 1

This definition can also be applied to globalisation, as countries are invested into, in order to provide a source of “capital accumulation”. In order to make these profits as high as they can be, globalisation focuses on paying labourers as little as possible. The similarity here is that imperialism is strongly linked to ...

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