Globalisation

Firstly watch this video:

The term globalisation has only been in widespread use for a few years, there is not one single, accepted definition. In 1961 it was first mentioned in an English dictionary. If you look up "globalize" in the dictionary, you will find "extend to cover the whole earth."

However, cross-border linkages at the economic, political, ecological and socio-cultural levels are not only a phenomenon of our time, but extend far back into human history. Even hundreds of years ago goods were transported along the Silk Road from Asia to Europe and there were political empires, such as that of the ancient Greeks, which stretched from the Black Sea to modern day Spain. However, links in the 20th Century have gained dramatically in speed and intensity.

A major reason for this is technological progress, especially in communications and transportation technology. In 1800 the delivery of a message from Europe to America took several weeks. As long as it took to transport people or goods overseas. Thanks to technological innovations, today news, information and pictures are sent within seconds and people and goods are transported quickly to the other side of the world.

Sources

http://www.duden.de/suchen/dudenonline/globalisieren
http://doku.cac.at/globaleslernenpolitischebildung.pdf