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That form of “globalization” was for esoteric commodities usually consumed by the wealthy. You could only ship products that were a) small enough, and b) could

by spaceman_2020 4y ago

That form of “globalization” was for esoteric commodities usually consumed by the wealthy. You could only ship products that were a) small enough, and b) could survive a year long voyage. You were trading expensive spices and luxury fabrics, not furniture and household utensils. The average person had maybe a couple of items in his home that were imported from global shipping routes. The rest of it was made locally. Compare that to now when its the opposite - your house is filled with imported goods and locally made products might be rare (and often, expensive). Which is to say, globalization of previous eras was a demographically isolated phenomenon - for the wealthy few.

throwaway290 4y ago
> That form of “globalization” was for esoteric commodities usually consumed by the wealthy. What a rich guy in another country bought, a poor guy in this country sold for profit. The beauty of capitalism, I guess:) > You could only ship products that were a) small enough, and b) could survive a year long voyage. International routes were used for grain and construction materials since the beginning of AD. They did not connect the entire planet since the tech was not there but they worked across countries around Mediterranean sea and Indian ocean. But now that tech is here and it is not going away
- spaceman_2020 4y ago
  > What a rich guy in another country bought, a poor guy in this country sold for profit. The dominant political order for much of recent human history was feudalism. The poor guy didn't sell his wares in a free market. The poor guy's wares were the property of his feudal Lord who was the primary beneficiary of this trade. The poor guy remained just that - poor.
  - throwaway290 4y ago
    That's why it's not only important to have global trade but also fight the kleptoregimes that undermine its positive effects by stealing from its own people I guess

throwaway290 4y ago

> That form of “globalization” was for esoteric commodities usually consumed by the wealthy. What a rich guy in another country bought, a poor guy in this country sold for profit. The beauty of capitalism, I guess:) > You could only ship products that were a) small enough, and b) could survive a year long voyage. International routes were used for grain and construction materials since the beginning of AD. They did not connect the entire planet since the tech was not there but they worked across countries around Mediterranean sea and Indian ocean. But now that tech is here and it is not going away

spaceman_2020 4y ago
> What a rich guy in another country bought, a poor guy in this country sold for profit. The dominant political order for much of recent human history was feudalism. The poor guy didn't sell his wares in a free market. The poor guy's wares were the property of his feudal Lord who was the primary beneficiary of this trade. The poor guy remained just that - poor.
- throwaway290 4y ago
  That's why it's not only important to have global trade but also fight the kleptoregimes that undermine its positive effects by stealing from its own people I guess