Opposing Views On The Globalization Of The United Kingdom

Joshua Dzurko

Professor DeBaz

PO 103-51

25 September 2015

Globalization of the United Kingdom Throughout its long history on the global stage, the United Kingdom has been a strong world leader in all facets of life. From their stances on government and international relations, all the way to culture and daily life, Britain has historically played a role in developing the globalized world we live in today. The United Kingdom is a sovereign island county located off the north-western coast of mainland Europe (Spencer). The United Kingdom is comprised of England, Wales, Scotland, and the northern part of Ireland; which ranks 80th in the world for total area size. Comparatively, the area of the UK is twice the size of Pennsylvania. Yet population-wise,

According to the CIA World Factbook, UK poverty levels might be at 15%, but the population percentage living in poverty is still one of the lowest in the world. The United Nation’s Human Development Report from 2014 reports the UK’s Education Index as 14th in the world for education attainment. According to John Bingham, Social Affairs Editor of the Telegraph, Britain’s population is growing at 0.7% a year, just over twice the European Union average of 0.34%. Immigration accounts for 60% of this British population growth, with 25% of new born babies born in the UK being born to immigrant mothers. Lastly, the CIA claims the UK’s life expectancy is 80.54 years old, which ranks 29th in the world. Globalization is affecting all of these in different ways. The prevailing reason is because of the strong economy Britain has. For when a society is largely wealthy, it tends to have lower poverty, higher education, a decent size population growth, and a higher life expectancy. The numbers don’t lie and the United Kingdom is one of the many

British culture has always been uniquely British, from the literature to the philosophy to the music. Yet that’s what makes Britain so incredible on the world stage when it comes to globalization. They continue to stay themselves even after being subjected to other civilizations’ cultures for literally hundreds and hundreds of years. I can personally respect a culture for wanting to stay true to its roots. It’s what makes culture and national identity meaningful. Technology is prevalent in the UK. This has two major effects. First, it is making the British even more interconnected with the rest of the world. Businesses can easily connect with other businesses and people can connect with other people. This is driving the very idea of globalization. Second, it is increasing the quality of the state. Having a rich economy means having the means to have better tech that serves the people, such as better healthcare, which in turn makes the UK more powerful on the global