Third Stage (1990): In the first two stages instable balances aroused. The number of independent states increased, conflicts increased and accelerated. Identity conflicts reached to peak in the underdeveloped countries.
The national markets of the West were insufficient; markets were desired to expand in order to encompass the whole world. In this process there were no competitors against the West like the ones in 1490 and 1890 stages because the third stage both was the factor that engendered the collapse of Soviet Bloc and the West was left alone to conquer the world as a result of this collapse. The third stage was more powerful, widespread and faster than the first two stages because of the hegemony of MNCs on the world economy started in 1970s, communication revolution created by putting technological inventions of the West like optical cable, communication satellites, computers, internet in 1980s and disappearance of power balances with the dissolution of the USSR and Europe’s turning up as the only focus of power again in 1990s. Therefore globalization has become a process that can not be reversed and it should be accorded and strategies should be developed against the process.
World trade volume of $380 billion in 1950 has increased to $21.2 trillion in 2005. The reasons of such a high increase in the world trade can be listed as the decrease in tariffs, trade agreements signed among countries and regions, regional integrations, developments in and cheapening in communication and transportation technologies, the mass and just-in-time production and the standardization of the tradable goods, convergence of human needs and the creation of new needs for humankind that can be denoted as “New World Order” or “Reganomics”.
Table 2: Trade in Goods
