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There are countries today that are still very much dependent on global trade who have still gotten or fought for their independence.

• ben_w 3y ago
  There's multiple levels of "dependent". I won't say there's never been a country that has fought for independence while simultaneously needing global trade for 100% of their food and water[0], but there definitely hasn't been a case of a country needing global trade for the literal oxygen they breathe. Two moons colonies, one that has farms and one that doesn't, I would expect to have very different prospects. [0] Though I've never heard of such a case, my history isn't good enough to make that claim. And no, mere famine isn't a strong enough example for this, those can be monstrously catastrophic without being existential.
  • jerf 3y ago
    Yes, a space colony would be very unlikely to ever be "fully" independent of Earth. Why would they cut off trade? Surely cutting off relations to Earth would always come with some price. But, there's prices, and there's prices. Earth history can tell you all about that. I mean, we're witnessing how this is a continuum and not a binary thing right now, as East and West are decoupling. Will they decouple fully? Doubt it. Will they perhaps recouple someday? Perhaps. Is there a price to this decoupling? Yes, on both sides, but apparently the sides consider it worth it, because it's happening.