> Not really, for most of humanity's history people could barely even figure out what happened on the other side of the mountain or the sea.

And yet, for around 30,000 years people have been going off to battle to impose ideals, take stuff, or stop other folks imposing ideals and taking stuff. The average mook in those battles may not have known what was going on, nor did the folks who stayed home in relative safety, but make no mistake, the wealthy and powerful have been imposing their morality as long as there has been a threat to wealth and power... it just happens much more quickly and broadly these days.