Buying British

Faraday Cage

What if Britain (the "nation of shopkeepers") had done more to develop it's colonial markets, as a self-perpetuating commercial empire, rather than just exploiting them for land, raw materials, and treasure? Would we see a world today where British cars, fast food franchises, and other consumer products dominated the market?
 
What if Britain (the "nation of shopkeepers") had done more to develop it's colonial markets, as a self-perpetuating commercial empire, rather than just exploiting them for land, raw materials, and treasure? Would we see a world today where British cars, fast food franchises, and other consumer products dominated the market?

Definatly possible from numerous PODS, especialy if the Commonwealth developes more like the EU
 
What if Britain (the "nation of shopkeepers") had done more to develop it's colonial markets, as a self-perpetuating commercial empire, rather than just exploiting them for land, raw materials, and treasure? Would we see a world today where British cars, fast food franchises, and other consumer products dominated the market?

I think this would require government investment and long-term planning on a level quite alien to the Laissez-Faire 19th century British government. As the last quarter-century has shown, development doesn't just _happen_ in third-world countries, even with pretty free trade: it needs some cooperative effort on the part of a non-predatory government.

It would also require the realization that the wealthier the Indians were, the more they could buy: something US industrialists didn't seem to realize about their own employees under the 20th century, when Henry Ford started paying his employees enough for their own cars [1], and something today's corporate moghuls seem to forget in an effort to drive wages to an absolute minimum.

And, most difficult, it would require the British to act in ways alienating to their own constituents: if you build cloth factories in Bengal, that looks like jobs you are taking away from British workers. In a still primitive economy where "service industry" generally means "maid" or "cart-driver", where are they going to go instead? How, with 19th century methods, does one develop colonial markets? If you have a backwards country, food and other raw materials are all they are going to produce, which doesn't buy that many of your goods. Of course, in the long run development is good for all - but try to convince a 19th century Briton of this.

(I'll note that in bobbis14's EU analogy, no single country dominates the market, although some may dominate in some niches. British consumer products did dominate the Imperial Market - when the British ran the place and the colonies were too undeveloped to compete).


Bruce

[1] And occasionally had company goons rough them up if they didn't buy Ford, but that's another story.
 
I think this would require government investment and long-term planning on a level quite alien to the Laissez-Faire 19th century British government. As the last quarter-century has shown, development doesn't just _happen_ in third-world countries, even with pretty free trade: it needs some cooperative effort on the part of a non-predatory government.

I think a better POD would be a more protectionist Britain, enforcing its Sterling Bloc more effectively. I dunno about a POD, though; maybe a negotiated end to the Great War?
 
I think this would require government investment and long-term planning on a level quite alien to the Laissez-Faire 19th century British government. As the last quarter-century has shown, development doesn't just _happen_ in third-world countries, even with pretty free trade: it needs some cooperative effort on the part of a non-predatory government.

It would also require the realization that the wealthier the Indians were, the more they could buy: something US industrialists didn't seem to realize about their own employees under the 20th century, when Henry Ford started paying his employees enough for their own cars [1], and something today's corporate moghuls seem to forget in an effort to drive wages to an absolute minimum.

And, most difficult, it would require the British to act in ways alienating to their own constituents: if you build cloth factories in Bengal, that looks like jobs you are taking away from British workers. In a still primitive economy where "service industry" generally means "maid" or "cart-driver", where are they going to go instead? How, with 19th century methods, does one develop colonial markets? If you have a backwards country, food and other raw materials are all they are going to produce, which doesn't buy that many of your goods. Of course, in the long run development is good for all - but try to convince a 19th century Briton of this.

(I'll note that in bobbis14's EU analogy, no single country dominates the market, although some may dominate in some niches. British consumer products did dominate the Imperial Market - when the British ran the place and the colonies were too undeveloped to compete).


Bruce

[1] And occasionally had company goons rough them up if they didn't buy Ford, but that's another story.

By that I meant free trade area with an organisation that actualy has some political muscel
 
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