The International Monetary Fund papers below discuss the history of globalization, pointing to the fact that what we are witnessing today is just a recovering trend. The conclusion is that around 1900 we WERE globalized already. It took two hot world wars and the Communist adventure in Eastern Europe to slowed down or warp things up (and only to a certain extent). Most insightful detail: the cost of transporting wheat declined by 200% in the 19th century alone!