China and India Post-World War II

¶ … non-Western cultures, China and India, which were transformed by globalization after World War II. A description concerning the circumstances within each of these cultures both prior to and after the influence of globalization is followed by an analysis of one of these examples including an assessment of what caused the influence and whether the influence was a direct or indirect process. Finally, an examination concerning whether the outcomes were intentional or unintentional in this example and a discussion concerning India's response to globalization is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.

Although the same processes that have been driving globalization since the end of World War II have been in place for thousands of years, globalization became especially pronounced during the second half of the 20th century due to innovations in technology and transportation that facilitated international trade and the dispersion of new ideas and concepts around the world (Haviland, Prins, Walrath & McBride, 2008). In this context, Mehta (2013) provides a useful definition: "The term globalization can be comprehended as a mass process in which or by which, various, geographical regions, economies and states and the people belonging to different cultures of the globe are linked together in an efficient and meaningful way" (p. 116). Two non-Western cultures have been profoundly affected by globalization include China and India as discussed further below.

By any measure, China has emerged from its devastation during World War II at the hands of the Japanese to become a true superpower in its own right. China's superpower status, though, is due to its burgeoning economic rather than its military might, although this is also growing in significant ways (Womack, 2009). Prior to the end of World War II, China was a largely agrarian society where most people lived in rural communities with little or no modern conveniences (Womack, 2009). By very sharp contrast, and despite Mao Tse Tung's Great Leap Forward, China has leveraged its enormous population and natural resources in ways that have reshaped the country's economic base and provided new opportunities for its workforce (Womack, 2009). These outcomes were the intentional result of state planning as well as a growing domestic market (Womack, 2009).

Prior to World War II, India was a British colony that primarily provided the raw materials for British industry with little regard for the development of the country's infrastructure (Mehta, 2013). Following its independence in 1947, though, India began to transform itself into an commercial giant with numerous value-added industries using the country's raw materials for its own advantage (Mehta, 2013). In response to growing calls for egalitarianism in the world's largest democracy, legislation has been enacted that is intended to overcome the longstanding caste system in the country; however, India remains a highly class-conscious culture today (Mehta, 2013). Globalization has had a particularly significant effect on family arrangements in India, with the average family size experiencing a steady decline since the 1980s due to increased economic wealth and the ability of younger people to afford their own residences (Mehta, 2013). These outcomes were an unintentional concomitant of the globalization process, and continue to reshape family living arrangements in India today.