Neno globalisation lilitumika kwa mara ya kwanza katika kuelezea shughuli za kampuni kubwa za Marekani katikati ya miaka ya 1990. Kumalizika kwa Vita Baridi kuliiweka Marekani katika hali ngumu; mbio za silaha dhidi ya USSR zilisababisha duru za kifedha kumwaga fedha nyingi nchini Marekani, jambo lililopelekea dola kuwa ghali, na hilo kwa upande wake lilifanya mazingira kuwa karibu yasiyowezekana kwa kampuni kubwa za kimataifa za Marekani kuuza bidhaa zao nje ya nchi. Kampuni za Marekani ziliona ni ghali mno kudumisha nafasi ya ushindani ng'ambo, kwa kuwa gharama ya kuzitengeneza bidhaa hizo nyumbani ilikuwa kubwa sana.

The first time the word globalisation was used was in describing the activities of the large American companies during the mid-1990s. The end of the cold war put the US in a conundrum; the arms race with the USSR resulted in financial circles pouring money into the US resulting in an expensive dollar which in turn made the climate for US multi-nationals to export their goods virtually impossible. US Companies found it too expensive to maintain a competitive position overseas when it was costing them so much making the products at home.

Kwa hiyo, ilibidi zitafutwe masoko ya kigeni yenye bei nafuu. Kuanzishwa kwa viwanda vya uzalishaji katika nchi ya kigeni kwa kutumia kazi ya bei nafuu, pamoja na sheria chache sana za kazi na unyanyasaji wa wazi, kulitwa utandawazi.

Hence cheaper foreign markets had to be found. The setting up of production facilities in a foreign country making use of the cheap labour, with very little labour laws and outright abuse was termed globalisation.

Taifa la kwanza kupewa matibabu ya utandawazi lilikuwa Urusi, pamoja na kile kilichosalia baada ya kuporomoka kwa USSR. Kuanguka kwa ukomunisti mwaka 1990 na kuvunjika kwa Umoja wa Kisovieti kulikuwa fursa nzuri kwa taasisi za kibepari kubadilisha uchumi mkubwa uliokuwa wa kati kuwa uchumi unaoelekezwa sokoni. Jumla ya dola bilioni 129 zilimiminwa Urusi, huku IMF na Benki ya Dunia zikitekeleza mipango mbalimbali ya maendeleo. Uchumi wa Urusi ulifunguliwa kwa uwekezaji wa kigeni, na viwanda viliuzwa kwa wageni, jambo lililoiacha nchi hiyo ikiwa hatarini kutokana na mabadiliko ya bei za dunia. Mwaka 1997, kutokana na kupotea kwa imani kwa Urusi, wakisia walianza kutoa fedha zao, na Urusi ilishindwa kujilinda kwa kuwa uhuru wa kiliberali ulihitaji kusiwepo na vikwazo vya mtiririko wa mitaji. Mgogoro huo uliongeza umaskini kutoka watu milioni 2 hadi milioni 60, ongezeko la asilimia 3000. UNICEF ilibaini kwamba hali hiyo ilisababisha vifo 'vya ziada' 500,000 kila mwaka. Urusi ni mfano wazi kwamba utandawazi ulisababisha moja kwa moja mgogoro huo kufikia kilele chake.

The first nation to be given the globalisation treatment was Russia and what was left of it after the collapse of the USSR. The fall of communism in 1990 and the break-up of the Soviet Union represented a wonderful opportunity for capitalist institutes to transform a huge centralist economy to one that was market orientated. A total of $129 billion poured into Russia with the IMF and the World Bank implementing a number of its development schemes. The Russian economy was opened to foreign investment and industry was sold to foreigners leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. In 1997, due to a loss on confidence in Russia, speculators began to withdraw their money and Russia was unable to defend itself as liberalisation required there to be no restrictions on capital flows. The crisis raised poverty from 2 million to 60 million, a 3000% increase. UNICEF noted that this resulted in 500,000 ‘extra’ deaths per year. Russia is a clear example that globalisation directly allowed the crisis to reach the peak it did.

Utandawazi leo kwa kweli ni nguvu kuu inayosukuma sera mbalimbali zinazomaanisha biashara huru, ambayo kwa hakika ni mwendelezo wa michakato ya kimerkantilisti iliyoonekana katika historia yote. Marekani ilijitenga na utawala wa kikoloni wa Uingereza mwaka 1776, ikitambua udhalimu na ukali wa sera za Uingereza ya kifalme. Hata hivyo, sasa Marekani imechukua nafasi ile ile na inafanya mambo yale yale ambayo Waingereza waliwahi kuwatendea wengine. Muda mfupi baada ya Vita vya mwaka 1812, vilivyopiganwa ili kushinda mazoea ya kimerkantilisti ya biashara ya Uingereza, mwanasiasa wa Marekani Henry Clay alisisitiza umuhimu wa Marekani kujenga uwezo wa kujihami, akimnukuu kiongozi mmoja wa Uingereza: 'Mataifa yalijua, kama vile [sisi wenyewe], kwamba tulichomaanisha kwa "biashara huru" hakikuwa chochote zaidi ya, kwa njia ya faida kubwa tuliyokuwa nayo, kupata ukiritimba wa masoko yao yote kwa bidhaa zetu za viwandani, na kuwazuia wote, kila mmoja, kamwe wasiwe mataifa ya viwanda.'25

Globalisation today in reality is the superpower pushing for various policies that imply free trade which is in fact a continuation of mercantilist processes seen throughout history. The US broke away from British colonial rule in 1776, recognising the unfairness and harshness in Imperial Britain’s policies. However, the US has now taken on that role and is doing the same things that the British once did to others. Shortly after the War of 1812 that was fought to defeat British mercantilist trade practices, US statesman Henry Clay pointed to the necessity of the United States developing a defensive capability by quoting a British leader, ‘Nations knew, as well as [ourselves], what we meant by “free trade” was nothing more nor less than, by means of the great advantage we enjoyed, to get a monopoly of all their markets for our manufactures, and to prevent them, one and all, from ever becoming manufacturing nations.’25

Hasa enzi za Reagan na Thatcher, biashara huria ilisukumwa katika sehemu nyingi za dunia chini ya kivuli cha utandawazi. Vitu vyote vinavyomilikiwa na serikali vilikaribia kupigwa vita, na ubinafsishaji wa kila kitu kilichomilikiwa na umma ulihimizwa, huku kukitumiwa uingiliaji wa kijeshi pale ilipohitajika.

The Reagan and Thatcher era in particular, saw free trade pushed to most parts of the globe under the guise of globalisation. Almost demonising anything that was state owned, and encouraging the privatisation of anything that was owned by the public, using military intervention if needed.

Sera za marekebisho ya kimuundo zilitumika kufungua uchumi wa nchi maskini ili biashara kubwa kutoka nchi tajiri ziweze kumiliki au kupata rasilimali nyingi kwa bei nafuu.

Structural adjustment policies were used to open up economies of poorer countries so that big businesses from the rich countries could own or access many resources cheaply.

Utandawazi una rekodi ya kushindwa. Katika utafiti pengine wa kina zaidi kuhusu umaskini hadi sasa, Scorecard on Globalization 1980-2000, Mark Weisbrot, Dean Baker na watafiti wengine katika Centre for Economic and Policy Research waliandika kwamba ukuaji wa uchumi, pamoja na viwango vya uboreshaji wa umri wa kuishi, vifo vya watoto wachanga, viwango vya elimu na kujua kusoma na kuandika, vyote vilipungua katika enzi ya utandawazi (1980-2000) ikilinganishwa na miaka ya 1960-1980. Kuanzia 1960 hadi 1980 nchi nyingi zilidumisha sera za ulinzi wa biashara ili kulinda uchumi wao dhidi ya soko la kimataifa, kulea viwanda vyao vya ndani na kuviwezesha kuwa na ushindani. Sera hizo ndizo zile zile ambazo ustawi wa kiuchumi wa Marekani ulijengwa juu yake.

Globalisation has a track record of failure. In perhaps the most comprehensive study of poverty to date, Scorecard on Globalization 1980-2000, Mark Weisbrot, Dean Baker and other researchers at the Centre for Economic and Policy Research documented that economic growth and rates of improvement in life expectancy, child mortality, education levels and literacy all have declined in the era of globalization (1980-2000) compared to the years 1960-1980. From 1960-1980 many countries maintained protectionist policies to insulate their economies from the international market to nurture their domestic industries and allow them to become competitive. Those policies are the same ones on which US economic prosperity was built.