Book excerpt: A 270-page time travel along the routes that led to the birth of Globalization, contributing robust evidence regarding the pioneering role of the Portuguese in this important chapter in the evolution of the world system. The Portuguese alone originated the maritime routes on a global scale and this feat will remain recorded in human history for the millennia to come. INNOVATION & STRATEGY IN MODERN HISTORY The world system’s telltale signature unveils the emergence of the first globalizing power Five main theses are defended in this book: • History is not a mere accumulation of past facts, the fruit of chance and uncertainty, and the Science of History is not a simplistic narrative of past ‘stories.’ • Globalization is an evolutionary and irreversible process, initially conceived in China around the 10th century, and born with the Portuguese Discoveries movement in the 15th and 16th centuries. • The Portuguese were pioneers in the process that led to the transition to a true global system of cultural and commercial exchange. • The application of systemic methodology to the analysis of History allows for the construction of viable future scenarios. • There is an inheritance from the Portuguese generations active during the apex period between the 15th and 16th centuries (the “Discoveries Matrix”), as well as a portfolio of acquired knowledge regarding this country’s capacity for resilience and its historical relationship to some of the emerging 21st century powers.