Empire and Economy: Trade, Resources and Exploitation

The economic dimensions of the British Empire are among the most debated aspects of imperial history. Was the Empire economically essential to Britain? Did it benefit the colonised peoples? How did imperial economic structures shape the modern world? These questions remain politically as well as historically significant, connecting directly to contemporary debates about reparations, global inequality, and the legacy of colonialism.

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Free Trade Imperialism

For much of the nineteenth century, Britain pursued a policy of free trade — the reduction or elimination of tariffs and trade barriers. This policy was not altruistic: as the world's leading industrial power, Britain benefited enormously from unrestricted access to global markets. Free trade imperialism — the use of political and military power to open and maintain markets — was a defining feature of British economic strategy.