The Imperialism Of Free Trade By John Gallagher And Ronald Robinson

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In their article, The Imperialism of Free Trade, John Gallagher and Ronald Robinson address the relationship between free trade and European imperialism in the 19th and 20th centuries. Gallagher and Robinson refute the traditional idea of the relationship between imperialism and free trade as being one of two elements in conflict, and instead pose the alternative theory that free trade was simply a tool of European imperialism. This proposition about the nature of the relationship between free trade and imperialism is hugely important in that it addresses types of European imperialism that are frequently overlooked and uncovers the vast amount of influence that European powers exerted even without the presence of traditional formal …show more content…

A popular analysis of the late 19th and early 20th century “scramble for Africa” attributes it to a ramping up of European powers’ imperialist goals, often providing it as supporting evidence in the characterization of the late Victorian period as one of increased imperialist action. However, in analyzing the motives behind the actions of European imperialist powers, continuity emerges. Robinson and Gallagher describe the history of 19th and 20th century Europe as “the history of and expanding society”. This idea of characterizing the entire period as a single “history” is revolutionary in that it points to some sort of continuity in the actions and motives of European powers throughout the period of imperialism that the idea of the mid and late Victorian periods being anti and pro-imperialist periods respectively fails to address. As evidence counter to the idea of a dichotomy existing between the policies of the middle and late Victorian periods, Robinson and Gallagher point out the fact that during the same time period, mercantilist formal empire was being used in India while more informal free trade policies were being used in Latin America by the same imperialist power: Britain. It is in regard to this point that one of the signature ideas of …show more content…

This method of understanding imperialism that contrasts with the traditional ideas provides a much more complete understanding of not only European imperialists in the 19th and 20th centuries, but of the concept of imperialism as a

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