Miles of fiber-optic cable now connect the continents, allowing people around the world to communicate instantly through the borderless World Wide Web. Globalization sped up dramatically in the twentieth century with the proliferation of air travel, the expansion of free trade, and the dawn of the Information Age. British manufacturers could then sell their finished goods, such as clothing and blankets, to buyers all over the world-the United States, Brazil, Australia, even India. British factories made fabric and other goods from the cotton. Factories in the county of Lancashire, England, created madras cloth. Eventually, madras cloth was no longer manufactured in Madras at all-the Indian labor force supplied the raw material, cotton. Madras, a light cotton cloth, was made in the city of Madras (now called Chennai), a major port in India. Britain’s colony in India, for instance, supplied cotton to British merchants and traders. They also sold their goods in other countries. Many companies used raw materials from distant lands. Globalization was accelerated in the nineteenth century with the Industrial Revolution, as mechanical mills and factories became more common. The globalization of Christianity spread from Europe to Latin America through Christian missionaries working with the local populations. Many early European explorers were eager to bring the Christian religion to the regions they visited. When Europeans began establishing colonies overseas, globalization grew.

The Silk Road, a trade route between China and the Mediterranean, promoted the exchange of ideas and knowledge, along with trade goods and foods such as silk, spices, porcelain, and other treasures from the East. In fact, there are cities named for Alexander in Iraq (Iskandariya), Egypt (Alexandria), and Turkey (Alexandria Troas).

The globalization of Greek culture came with the conqueror Alexander the Great.

Globalization in History Globalization has a long history, for example, Ancient Greek culture was spread across much of southwestern Asia, northern Africa, and southern Europe.

As people, ideas, knowledge, and goods move more easily around the globe, the experiences of people around the world become more similar. Globalization results in the expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities. Globalization is the connection of different parts of the world.

What is a global city defined by