On Wed, 9 Jul 2008 21:51:09 -0700 (PDT), "Peter H.M. Brooks"
<Peter.H.M.Brooks@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>On Jul 9, 5:23 am, Steve Hayes <hayesm...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Thus destroying local autarky
>>
>I've been wondering a bit about this comment. I understand your point,
>of course, but usually people describe something as an autarky when
>the situation is voluntary. North Korea has established itself as
>close to one, Albania did after Hoexa threw out both the Russians and
>the Chinese - after first refusing to talk to anybody else. Japan's
>long period of isolation was deliberate too. The indigenous people of
>Africa didn't know that there was any other option, so I don't think
>that autarky is really an apt word for their condition before they
>encountered foreigners from Europe and Arabia.
Yes, it's a moot point.
But in societies in which most people are subsistence farmers or herdsmen,
trade is mainly in luxury items, not the basic necessities of life.
People could make clothes from animal skins locally, without sup****ting
the
cotton mills of Manchester and dozens of middle-men along the way.
In hunting societies, however, the firearms of Birmingham and the knives
of
Sheffield were a far bigger attraction than Manchester goods.
As mass-produced articles they were able to undercut the local products,
so
naturally the Poms were all for free trade. Every year, at a certain
season,
Ovambo blacksmiths would travel south and sell their iron goods -- knives,
axes and the like. The industry was killed by the products of Sheffield
and
Birmingham -- which were usually exchanged for elephants' teeth -- and of
course Birmingham guns could kill many more elephants more quickly than
the
locally-produced hunting gear.
But these products were not distributed out of altruism, as the piece
posted
by "Topaz" implies. They made fat profits all along the line.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop
uk
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