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Because of the capitalistic nature of the global economy, many countries and many people around the world benefit from globalization. Globalization provides the largest possible base of competitors. This, in turn, provides cheaper products, higher quality products, and more jobs in the world labor market. Any economist would tell you that the people involved in a market based economy receive many benefits from increases in competition. However, while almost every country has in some way benefited from the effects of globalization, it is true that some countries have benefited from globalization more than others.

Globalization is not a new phenomenon. Cross cultural trade has been taking place since ancient times. In the experience of western civilization this phenomenon first occurred across the Mediterranean. The reach of the global market spread until it eventually covered the entire Eurasian landmass. In more recent times, this cross cultural trade has come to span the globe. The scale has increased exponentially and the phenomenon now encompasses the entire world and this cross cultural trade has been appropriately dubbed "globalization." This issue has become discussed more and more in recent years because of changes within the nature of the global market. More specifically- the roles of the various players have begun to shift. The playing field has become more level in recent decades; and, as this occurs, the traditional overlords of the global economy are feeling the effects. The days of European empires have passed and the replacement system is still in development. Many might not think of the colonial era as being the birthplace of globalization, but the truth is, without the colonial era there would be no global economy.

During the colonial period of world history the global market structure looked much different than it does today. In this particular system the European countries traveled the globe looking for places to collect raw materials. They then shipped these raw materials back to their home countries and manufactured these items into finished products. Next, they exported the vast majority of these products around the world. The native resources and peoples were most often exploited and used as tools for creating wealth for their western world overlords. The effects of this were that the economies of these particular western countries grew exponentially and the local colonial inhabitants were subjected to sub-standard living conditions.

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