The series of deep transformations politics, economic and cultural that the world has suffering and that they are on to the
increase of the relations and the interdependence between the countries, is known as the phenomenon of the “
globalization”. The term globalization invokes favorable and favorable reactions.
Under the economic approach the globalization is manifested by means of the reduction of the barriers to the free-commerce and the free flow of capitals between the nations. As consequence, it increases the international exchange of merchandises and services, as well as the capital between borders.
In the past, already it had other periods of fast growth of the international trade, as at the Era of the Conquerors (century XV) or during the Industrial Revolution in England (Century XIX). In the first half of century XX, the two great world wars had caused a great reduction in the international exchanges.
The globalization that we are living today had beginning with the end of World War II (1939-1945) with the celebration of multilateral agreements of international trade. These agreements had culminated in General
agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1948. The GATT established the principles for the negotiation between the countries, considering reductions of customs tariffs and restrictions to the international trade.
After the creation of the GATT, other important agreements had been signed with the objective to reduce tariffs and other barriers to the international trade, for example:
- Treated of Rome (1957): the European Economic Community was created;
- North American Free Trade Agreement - NAFTA (1992);
- Treated of Asunción (1991): the Mercosul was created.
Other factors that had helped to stimulate the globalization are related with the improvement of the logistic infrastructure and transports, the infrastructure of telecommunications and information, the standardizations and the protection of the property rights. An important phenomenon, observed since from 1980, is the growth of the foreign commerce with superior taxes to the growth of internal gross production world-wide.