Near the end of the 15th century, a remarkable new chapter in global history began. Several countries in Western Europe launched maritime expeditions of exploration, systematically sailing thousands of miles across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in search of new lands. Sailing the oceans was daring and difficult. And while it may be that other cultures - like the Chinese and the Polynesians - had previously sent out long-distance voyages to explore new areas, there is no evidence that this series of explorations began with the idea of bringing back more and more knowledge about the planet.
The Europeans were interested in the size of the continents, their position on the globe, and their relationship to each other. The voyagers were also interested in the people who inhabited lands they did not know, and in the resources of those lands, resources that might be used in European markets. Global maritime exploration and the discovery of new lands and peoples lasted well into the 19th century. Perhaps the most remarkable new lands discovered were North and South America, which the Europeans called the "New World," for their existence had not yet been suspected in Europe. In time the Europeans would discover and map virtually all the land on the globe.
Explorers brought back observations about the continents and the people of distant lands, and information about goods that could be sold for profit by merchants and processed into products that improved the way of life in Europe. Making profit from newly acquired goods and preventing rival countries from gaining control of the supply sources of these goods became driving impulses for exploration. This drive toward making a profit soon drew a number of western European countries into competition.
Excerpt courtesy of: http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=128
What is globalization? The process by which the regions, peoples and economies of the world become increasingly interconnected. Beginning in the 15th century (1400's) and
continuing to this day. Globalization is the linking of the world’s regions, peoples, and economies in a larger global system.
Themes: PEGS
Political Structures: States and empires with centralized governments extended their power over large areas.
Economic Structures: The world economy developed rapidly as a result of global trade and commerce.
Geographic Structures: The environment was transformed by the exchange of people, products and diseases around the world.
Social Structures/Cultural: A more interconnected world brought social changes and increased contact among different racial and ethnic groups. Voyages of exploration brought the world closer together and aided the spread of ideas and technologies.