In the past, there were a number of colonial empires. These empires had been established by several European powers including Britain and France and the empires included colonies in the far away places like -Asia, Africa and America (South and North America combined).

The colonial powers were capitalist ones, and colonialism was transformed into imperialism. This prompted Lenin to argue that ‘capitalism’ is the highest form of imperialism. The old colonialism crossed national barriers, sought to transplant some elements of the culture of the mother-country (colonial power) in the soil of the colony and forged some administrative linkage between them.

Thus, old colonialism, to some extent, reflected globalization. But when we speak of globalization today, we have mainly in mind that phenomenon or process of tremendous power and far-reaching implications which has appeared in the aftermath of the end of the cold war. (The end of the cold war took place during 1989-92).

Even before the end of the cold war, the leaders and experts of the west had been pleading free trade between nations so that, being economically dominant, they would control and dominate the economies of developing countries. They wanted their free and unrestricted access to the markets and resources of developing countries.

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They advocated dismantling of protectionist barriers raised by developing countries, though they themselves practice protectionism to defend the interests of their own industrialists, workers and farmers. During the cold war, they were trying to persuade developing countries to accept their demand. But, with the end of the cold war, they are trying to impose their views on the latter.

In particular, the US, the sole super power, is aggressively pursuing the globalization agenda. Many developing countries, while appreciating some aspects of globalization, have strong reservations about its other aspects. But they find it difficult to oppose and check globalization. Slowly and gradually they have started to fall in line.