2 ms·

I'm not convinced. Passports might be a modern invention (and really that isn't surprising, a global identification system requires sophisticated bureaucracy an

I'm not convinced. Passports might be a modern invention (and really that isn't surprising, a global identification system requires sophisticated bureaucracy and cheap, accessible transportation), but that doesn't mean that people used to be able to move freely across borders. Modern technology makes immigration accessible to the masses in a way that simply wasn't the case in the pre-modern world. A few things you would have to consider before immigrating in the pre-modern world: - Where are you going? There's no internet, books are rare, and maps are inaccurate (and often plain wrong) - How will you get there? Transportation is expensive and unreliable - How will you preserve wealth? A global financial system accessible to normal folks does not exist yet - What will you do to support yourself? Pre-modern communication infrastructure makes scoping out foreign labor markets difficult - How will you learn the language? You'll have to find someone to teach it to you, instructional material will be limited - Who will you leave behind? Any family members that don't come with you will likely never be seen or heard from again - What if people decide you're not welcome? Well-enforced protections against discrimination do not exist yet People did immigrate, so obviously immigration was not impossible. Not all of these questions apply to every situation (people migrating to an adjacent country would not have to deal with many of these concerns). But immigration was far harder than it is today, and fraught with risk. Pre-modern borders were, by virtue of being pre-modern, effectively closed.

mikem170 4y ago
I agree that modern transport and communication has significantly changed peoples abilities to migrate. Wouldn't this mean that eventually the world will be more integrated in every dimension, regardless of the desires of those controlling borders, that lower barriers to communication and transportation will continue to make the world a smaller place? Will it be possible to stop this as the decades and centuries go by? There's already millions of people crossing borders every year, like the southern U.S. border, refugees from Africa and the Middle East into Europe, migrants leaving Russia and Ukraine, migrants between countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, etc. One might expect those numbers to increase over time, as it gets easier to travel. Perhaps it is inevitable that the world will continue to integrate.

mikem170 4y ago

I agree that modern transport and communication has significantly changed peoples abilities to migrate. Wouldn't this mean that eventually the world will be more integrated in every dimension, regardless of the desires of those controlling borders, that lower barriers to communication and transportation will continue to make the world a smaller place? Will it be possible to stop this as the decades and centuries go by? There's already millions of people crossing borders every year, like the southern U.S. border, refugees from Africa and the Middle East into Europe, migrants leaving Russia and Ukraine, migrants between countries in Africa, Asia, and South America, etc. One might expect those numbers to increase over time, as it gets easier to travel. Perhaps it is inevitable that the world will continue to integrate.