This is a timeline of the history ofinternational trade which chronicles notable events that have affected the trade between various countries.
In the era before the rise of thenation state, the term 'international' trade cannot be literally applied, but simply means trade over long distances; the sort of movement in goods which would represent international trade in the modern world.
The domestication of thehorse around 4800 BCE allowed for the development of horse riding around 3700 BCE, and long distance travel across theCentral Asian steppes.[1]
TheOlmec (c 1200-400 BCE) developed a culture with a polytheistic pantheon, monumental architecture, and artisanal goods which was spread acrossMesoamerica partly by long distance trade for obsidian, jade, and luxury feathers.[5]
TheChavín (c 900-250 BCE) of the northern coast ofPeru andTiwanaku (c 550-1000 CE) in theAndes were able to build large cities and temples out of stone after growing wealthy from trade networks using llama trains. Trade across the Andes was able to transport maize, llama wool, andcoca from the regions they were produced.[5]
Indian goods were brought in Arabian vessels toAden.[4] Cargo was shipped as part of the Indian and Egyptian trade.[6]
The "ships ofTarshish", aSyrian fleet equipped atEzion-Geber, made several trading voyages to the East bringing back gold, silver,ivory and precious stones.[4]
The goods from the East African trade were landed at one of the three main Roman ports, Arsing, Berenice, and Moos Hormones, which rose to prominence during the 1st century BCE.[8][9]
Hanger controlled the Incense trade routes across Arabia to theMediterranean and exercised control over the trading ofaromatics toBabylon in the 1st century BCE.[10] Additionally, it served as a port of entry for goods shipped from India to the East.[10]
Due to its prominent position in the incense trade,Yemen attracted settlers from theFertile Crescent.[11]
Pre-Islamic Mecca used the old Incense Route to benefit from the heavy Roman demand for luxury goods.[12]
InJava andBorneo, the introduction of Indian culture created a demand for aromatics. These trading outposts later served the Chinese and Arab markets.[13]
Following the demise of the incense trade, Yemen took to the export of coffee via the Red Sea port ofla-Mocha.[14]
TheMaya had a class of wealthy merchants who traded long distances and between city states, although despite their wealth they were separated from the ruling nobility. Markets convened on specific days of theMaya calendar, and at times traders usedcocoa beans as currency.[5]
Guangzhou was China's greatest international seaport during theTang dynasty (618–907), but its importance was eclipsed by the international seaport ofLanzhou during theSong dynasty (960–1279).
At the eastern terminus of theSilk Road, theTang dynasty Chinese capital atChang'an became a major metropolitan center for foreign trade, travel, and residence. This role would be assumed byKaifeng andHangzhou during theSong dynasty.
TheBaqt was a treaty signed around 652 to regulate trade and travel between the Christian kingdoms ofNubia and Muslim-ruledEgypt, protecting traders from both regions but requiring tribute to be paid by the Nubians to uphold the treaty.[16]
The city ofSijilmasa, ruled by the Islamic dynasties ofMorocco, and the oasis city ofAuodaghost to the south, ruled by nomadicBerber confederacies, served as staging points for the long desert crossings of the Trans-Saharan trade. Copper, cowries, and salt were sent south by camel, while ivory, gold, and slaves were sent north.[17]
TheSahelian kingdoms stood between the Trans-Saharan trade with theMaghreb and gold fields to the south. The oasis city ofOualata served as a trading post and customs station for Trans-Saharan caravans, though some North African traders went on to the larger cities ofTimbuktu andGao along theNiger River.[18]
Islamic caliphates began trading for slave soldiers ormamluks in the 9th century, includingTurks andSlavs, in the hopes that these enslaved foreigners would have no choice but to remain loyal. As they rose to command armies, many mamluk slaves gained power and prestige.[1]
Indian exports of spices found mention in the works of Ibo Khurdadhbeh (850), AL-Afghani (1150) and Lakisha bin Trimaran (907).[21]
The Trans-Saharan trade introduced kingdoms in the West AfricanSahel toIslam.[22]
TheHanseatic League secured trading privileges and market rights in England for goods from the League's trading cities in 1157.
Thekingdoms of theZimbabwe plateau traded gold for manufactured products, like glass beads, iron goods, and jewelry, from the Middle East and China through middlemen on theSwahili coast.[23]
Thekingdom of Benin served as a regional center of trade in West Africa as well as with the Portuguese after their arrival, exporting finely made cloth produced by their women as well as trading metal goods, ivory, and slaves.[5]
TheMongol conquests in the 13th - 14th centuries created the largest contiguous empire in history, which also facilitated commerce and cultural exchange over vast distances.[1]
Mansa Musa, sultan of theMali Empire, made aHajj or pilgrimage in 1324 across the Saharan desert toMecca, the holy city of Islam, to demonstrate his piety and project his wealth to potential trading partners in North Africa. He brought with him a large retinue, gifts, and so much gold that his spending caused economic inflation inCairo.[24]
Ibn Battuta explored the far corners of the Islamic world from 1325–1354, including traveling with trade caravans to West Africa and following trade winds across the Indian Ocean to China.[25]
Zheng He made severalvoyages across the Indian Ocean and South China Sea from 1405–1433, going as far as the Swahili coast seeking the source of luxury goods which had previously reachedMing China through intermediaries.[26]
Pochteca were the merchants of the Aztec Empire (1426–1521) who carried trade goods, tribute, and information about neighbors from beyond the empire's borders. Artisanal products produced in the city ofTenochtitlan served as valuable trade goods, while the city ofTlateloco was home to a large market serving thousands of people a day.[5]
The earlyPortuguese slave trade with Africa traded iron goods, textiles, and horses for hundreds of West African laborers a year destined for theAzores andIberia. Unlike in the African slave trade they came from, captives were taken far from their homelands and had less legal rights.[5]
Thekingdom of Kongo was introduced to Christianity by trade with the Portuguese, leading to the conversion of the soon-to-be kingAfonso I in 1491. However, despite early friendly relations with the Portuguese, the constant warfare and loss of population from the slave trade to Portuguese Brazil led the kingdom to decline.[5]
Portuguese diplomatPêro da Covilhã (1460 – after 1526) undertook a mission to explore the trade routes of the Near East and the adjoining regions of Asia and Africa. The exploration commenced fromSantana (1487) toBarcelona,Naples,Alexandria,Cairo and ultimately to India.
Portuguese explorer and adventurerVasco da Gama is credited with establishing another sea route from Europe to India by sailing around Africa from 1497-99.[29]
The transatlantic slave trade transported unprecedented numbers of captive slaves, numbering roughly 12 million people, from Africa to European colonies in the Americas. Conditions in theslave ships were extremely inhumane and many slaves died in their attempted capture and in transit. Slaves were able to start families and established new populations in the Americas, although families could be broken up when family members were sold away.[5]
In the 1530s, the Portuguese shipped spices toHormuz.[30]
The Spanish empire had to establish coastal patrols and forts in the late 1500s to protect gold and silver transported in trading ships across the Atlantic from foreign pirates.[5]
TheManila Galleon was a fleet of Spanish trading ships annually sent across the Pacific between Spanish possessions in Mexico and the Philippines from 1565 - 1815 to trade with China. American silver was traded for Chinese silk and other goods, with some estimates saying that half of the silver of the Americas ended up in Ming China.[31][32]
WhileSpain tried to monopolize transatlantic trade with its empire in the Americas using thefleet system, smuggling with other countries like theDutch was extremely common. This weakened economic control by the Spanish crown but at times strengthened local economies in the Americas.[33]
Japan introduced a system of foreign trade licenses to prevent smuggling andpiracy in 1592.
A Dutch convoy sailed in 1598 and returned one year later with 600,000 pounds of spices and otherEast Indian products.[34]The Dutch used thefluyt, ships dedicated to carrying cargo, to transport goods across oceans.
The first English outpost in theEast Indies was established in Sumatra in 1685.
Japan introduced the closed door policy regarding trade (Japan was sealed off to foreigners and only very selective trading to the Dutch and Chinese was allowed) in 1639.
The 17th century saw military disturbances around theOttawa river trade route.[36] During the late 18th century, the French built military forts at strategic locations along the main trade routes of Canada.[37] These forts checked the British advances, served as trading posts which includedNative Americans in thefur trade, and acted as communications posts.[37]
In 1799, The Dutch East India company, formerly the world's largest company went bankrupt, partly due to the rise of competitivefree trade.
Japan was served by the Portuguese fromMacao and later by the Dutch.[30]
Despite the late entry of theUnited States into the spice trade, merchants fromSalem, Massachusetts traded profitably with Sumatra during the early years of the 19th century.[38]
In 1815, the first commercial shipment of nutmegs fromSumatra arrived in Europe.[39]
TheOpium Wars break out between Western nations and China, resulting in the Chinese government being forced to open trade to foreign powers.
Britain unilaterally adopted a policy of free trade and abolished theCorn Laws in 1846.[40]
The first international free trade agreement, theCobden-Chevalier Treaty, was finalized in 1860 between the United Kingdom and France, prepared byRichard Cobden andMichel Chevalier; it sparked off successive agreements between other countries in Europe.[40]
The Japanese Meiji Restoration (1868) led the way to Japan opening its borders and quickly industrializing through free trade. Under bilateral treaties restraint of trade imports to Japan were forbidden.
In 1873, the Wiener Berserk slump signaled the start of the continentalLong Depression, during which support for protectionism grew.
In 1946. theBretton Woods system goes into effect; it had been planned since 1944 as an international economic structure to prevent furtherdepressions and wars. It included institutions and rules intended to prevent nationaltrade barriers being erected, as the lack of free trade was considered by many to have been a principal cause ofwar.
January 1968:R-668 defined the terminology, dimensions and ratings
July 1968:R-790 defined the identification markings
January 1970:R-1161 made recommendations about corner fittings
October 1970:R-1897 set out the minimum internal dimensions of general purpose freight containers
The Ranger Committee is formed in 1971 to advise on the interpretation of nuclear goods in relation to international trade and theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NOT).
16 October 1973:OPEC raises theSaudi light crude export price, and mandate an export cut the next day, plus anEmbargo on oil exports to nations allied withIsrael in the course of theYom Kipper War. (also seeOil crisis)
TheNuclear Suppliers Group (NEG) was created in 1974 to moderate international trade in nuclear related goods, after the explosion of a nuclear device by a non-nuclear weapon State.
The breakdown of theSoviet Union leads to a reclassification of within-country trade to international trade, which has a small effect on the rise of international trade.[42]
After expanding its membership to 12 countries, the European Economic Community becomes theEuropean Union (EU) on 1 November 1993.[nb 1]
1 January 1994: TheEuropean Economic Area (SEA ) is formed to provide for thefree movement of persons, goods, services and capital within theinternal market of the European Union as well as three of the four member states of the European Free Trade Association.[nb 2]
1 January 2002: Twelve countries of the European Union launch theEuro zone (euro in cash), which instantly becomes the second most used currency in the world.
2008-2009 : during theGreat Trade Collapse, a drop of world GDP of 1% caused a drop of international trade of 10%.
In 2013, China began its economic integration and infrastructure project, called theBelt and Road Initiative.
^The twelve countries are Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
^The three EFTA member states are Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The fourth EFTA member, Switzerland, did not join the EEA, and instead negotiated a series ofbilateral agreements with the EU over the next decade which allow it also to participate in the internal market.
^abcdefghijBurkholder, Mark A., 1943- (2019).Colonial Latin America. Johnson, Lyman L. (Tenth ed.). New York.ISBN978-0-19-064240-2.OCLC1015274908.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Abhay Kumar Singh (2006).Modern World System and Indian Proto-industrialization: Bengal 1650-1800, (Volume 1). Northern Book Centre.ISBN9788172112011.
^Lipman, Jonathan Neaman. (2012).Modern East Asia : an integrated history. Molony, Barbara., Robinson, Michael Edson. Boston: Pearson.ISBN978-0-321-23490-2.OCLC707842587.
^Om Prakash, "Empire, Mughal",History of World Trade Since 1450, edited byJohn J. McCusker, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2006, pp. 237–240,World History in Context. Retrieved 3 August 2017
^Corn 1999: 265 "The first few years of the nineteenth century were the most profitable in Salem's pepper trade with Sumatra ... The peak was reached in 1805 ... Americans had entered the spice game late in the day ... Even so, the Salemites had come into the pepper trade with sufficient vigor to establish what amounted to a monopoly.
^abCorn 1999: 217 "The first commercial shipment of Sumatran nutmegs reaching Europe in 1815 ... Similar experiments were tried in ... as well as Grenada in the West Indies. The tests were successful to the point where by the mid-nineteenth century these upstart colonies collectively rivaled Banda's exports.
Donkin, Robin A. (2003).Between East and West: The Moluccas and the Traffic in Spices Up to the Arrival of Europeans. Diane Publishing Company.ISBN978-0-87169-248-1.
Easterbrook, William Thomas (1988).Canadian Economic History. University of Toronto Press.ISBN978-0-8020-6696-1.
Rawlinson, Hugh George (2001).Intercourse Between India and the Western World: From the Earliest Times to the Fall of Rome. Asian Educational Services.ISBN978-81-206-1549-6.
Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities: a dictionary of trade in Britain, 1550–1820. Part of British History Online, by permission of the University of Wolverhampton.
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