The paper discusses some aspects of integration of different regions and societiesin the course of historical globalization. Within historical globalizationone can observe a close correlation between such important processes as technologicaltransformations, urbanization, political integration, struggle for politicalhegemony, etc. In the paper we analyze these correlations to associatehistorical globalization with phases of expansion. Within the expansion processwe point out seven levels from the local level through the planetary one.The most significant changes were associated with crucial technologicalbreakthroughs, or production revolutions, and other related transformationslike the Urban Revolution. The latter can be regarded as a phase transition ofthe Afroeurasian world-system to a qualitatively new level of complexity. Thereare also several periods which one can define as landmarks in the worldsystemhistory. The paper also offers some theoretical ideas about cycles of divergenceand convergence.