John Prince Smith, a British national who settled in Germany, led a free-trade movement in that country in the mid-19th century. Unfortunately, his movement ultimately was overpowered by the rise of Bismarck's Realpolitik.
In 1806 Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree, laying out his Continental System he hoped would starve Great Britain into submission through blockades and anti-trade policies. In the end, smuggling and outright avoidance of the law brought down his system and his empire.
Tom DiLorenzo reviews Patrick Newman's Cronyism: Liberty Versus Power in Early America, 1607–1849. The book posits that early American history is best understood as a struggle between mercantilist elites seeking to plunder the people and libertarians advocating economic freedom.
David Gordon reviews Quinn Slobodian's Crack-Up Capitalism. Slobodian’s obsession with the evils of competition, which he considers a race to the bottom, is so great that it leads him to dismiss commonplace observations that everyone knows to be true.
Chris Calton reviews Michael Sonenscher's Capitalism: The Story Behind the Word. The book meanders through abstract associations to claim that the division of labor is “worse” than capitalism without providing context or engaging with real historical developments.
The US Cuban embargo continues, to the detriment of both countries. Not surprisingly, Murray Rothbard had strong opinions on the embargo, as he believed that US policies not only were self-defeating, but were outright harmful.
While many historians claim slavery was the sole cause of the Civil War, they are overlooking the role of tariffs in creating the economic and political divides between North and South before the war began.
No country needs the approval of others to adopt free trade. No harm and much benefit can accrue to the citizens of either country.
The US and its Western allies may scoff at this challenge, but it only became possible due to high-handedness (to use the kindest word imaginable) and outright illegality of US actions.
The US and its Western allies may scoff at this challenge, but it only became possible due to high-handedness (to use the kindest word imaginable) and outright illegality of US actions.
