Rola i miejsce Afryki w angielskim handlu zewnętrznym (i kolonialnym) w XVIII wieku

Abstract

Western Africa was a very important feature of the Euroatlantic trade system created by England, and later by Great Britain, from the second half of the 17th century. The factories, founded here on the Atlantic coast (or taken away from the Dutch and French colonial area) together with Portugeuse trade settlements (thanks to the peace treaty from 1703) existed in the scheme of socalled Atlantic triangle. The merchandises were exported from the British Isles to Western Africa where these were exchanged for the local materials (especially gold and ivory). These materials were transported (legally or not) to both Americas. The slave trade was also the very important element of this exchange system in the period. The British trade with Western Africa was initially organized by trade companies. The individual tradesmen, however, took part in this commercial traffic in the 18th century (especially in the slave trade) to the significant degree. These individual commercial activities disorganized earlier created Euroatlantic mercantile system of British foreign (and colonial) trade. It is necessary to stress here that the direct trade exchange between Western Africa and Great Britain was developing at that time together with the British reexport of tropic merchandises on European markets. In spite of it, the African market played the smaller role in the British system of foreign trade than the American and Asian markets. The African market, however, developed its position to the significant degree in the Atlantic trade sphere in the 18th century.