themselves on the world economic scene in relation to the countries of the
South.
We will first study the historical integration of the countries of the North
into the globalisation process, then we will look at the economic inequalities
affecting the countries of the South as they enter globalisation, and finally we
will analyse the 'global' problems of globalisation which raise the question of its
termination.
Globalisation is both an old and a new concept as it varies in its
implementation and diffusion. Emerging gradually over the centuries,
globalisation is presented as "a long process that undergoes periods of
accentuation with different kinds of globalisation" (Vie-publique, 2019). Thus,
the characteristics of globalisation can be seen with the spread of Islam in the
Middle East and South-East Asia around 600 AD. It was much later that
globalisation was to take hold in the economic sphere and this was presented
by many researchers as the result of "waves of globalisation" with key periods
such as the industrial revolutions, the "liberalisation policies" or the
deregulation of markets (Blancheton, 2014) which enabled states, particularly
those of the North, to enter the world economic scene.
In a context of rapid and successful industrialisation, the Northern states
used the resources available to them through their colonial possessions to
maintain their privileged positions in the world economy. This exploitation is
expressed through slavery, the appropriation of minerals and raw materials.
Thus, the integration of the countries of the North into the globalisation process
is the result of a colonial exploitation of the resources of the countries of the
South. This exploitation of the countries of the South still has repercussions on
their current economic, cultural and political development.
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