• In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect. NAFTA abolished
tariffs between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Opposition to NAFTA broke out among
Indians in the Mexican state of Chiapas.
• In Seattle in 1999, demonstrators protested against the World Trade Organization (WTO). The
WTO was established in 1995 in order to organize world trade.
• U.S. trade created a worldwide diffusion of its products and culture. Advertising led to familiar
logos and global recognition of U.S. products.
Rapid Review
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century global economies were so interconnected that a crisis in one
sector affected nearly all regions of the globe. Former colonial economies often had difficulty
recovering from the production of a plantation cash crop to a diversified economy. East Asian
nations proved fierce competitors in the export of automobiles, textiles, and electronics. OPEC oil
prices became a major focus of world attention. Mass consumerism characterized the latter years of
the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century as U.S. values and products diffused
throughout most of the world.
Review Questions
1 . OPEC
(A) is an organization of Middle Eastern nations
(B) originated after the establishment of the European Union
(C) was founded after NAFTA
(D) has members in Latin America and Africa2 . East Asian nations are noted for the export of all of the following products EXCEPT
(A) textiles
(B) films
(C) automobiles
(D) heavy industry
3 . The impact of regional trade on global trade in the twentieth century was especially noticeable
(A) on plantations during the imperialist age
(B) before and during the Great Depression
(C) after the establishment of NAFTA
(D) during the revolution in Chiapas, Mexico
4 . The European Union
(A) established a currency used by all its members
(B) originated with Great Britain
(C) has the same basic purpose as NAFTA
(D) does not adjust tariffs outside the European community