Timeline of international trade

This is a timeline of the history of international trade which chronicles notable events that have affected the trade between various countries.

In the era before the rise of the nation 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.

Chronology of events

thumb|280x280px|[[Incense Route – Desert Cities in the Negev|The desert Cities in the Negev were linked to the Mediterranean end of the ancient Incense Route.]]

Ancient

The domestication of the horse around 4800 BCE allowed for the development of horse riding around 3700 BCE, and long distance travel across the Central Asian steppes.
The domestication of dromedary camels around 2,000 BCE allowed Arabian nomads to control long distance trade in spices and silk from the Far East.
The Egyptians traded in the Red Sea, importing spices from the "Land of Punt" and from Arabia.
The Olmec (c 1200-400 BCE) developed a culture with a polytheistic pantheon, monumental architecture, and artisanal goods which was spread across Mesoamerica partly by long distance trade for obsidian, jade, and luxury feathers.
The Chavín (c 900-250 BCE) of the northern coast of Peru and Tiwanaku (c 550-1000 CE) in the Andes 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, and coca from the regions they were produced.
The Achaemenid Persian Empire (559-330 BCE) incorporated Central Asia into Near Eastern and Indian Ocean trade networks.

right|thumb|300x300px|[[Roman trade with India according to the Periplus Maris Erythraei, 1st century CE]]

The Silk Road was established after the diplomatic travels of the Han dynasty Chinese envoy Zhang Qian to Central Asia in the 2nd Century BCE, with Chinese goods making their way to India, Persia, and the Roman Empire, and vice versa.
With the establishment of Roman Egypt, the Romans initiated trade with India.
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.
Hanger controlled the Incense trade routes across Arabia to the Mediterranean and exercised control over the trading of aromatics to Babylon in the 1st century BCE. Additionally, it served as a port of entry for goods shipped from India to the East.
Pre-Islamic Mecca used the old Incense Route to benefit from the heavy Roman demand for luxury goods.
In Java and Borneo, the introduction of Indian culture created a demand for aromatics. These trading outposts later served the Chinese and Arab markets.
Following the demise of the incense trade, Yemen took to the export of coffee via the Red Sea port of la-Mocha.
The Maya 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 the Maya calendar, and at times traders used cocoa beans as currency.

Medieval

The Sogdian city of Samarkand exported unique foods, the Bactrian city of Balkh spread Buddhism to traders, and the Khwarazmian city of Khwarazm traded for furs from Siberia, while serving as key links in the Silk Road.
The city of Sijilmasa, ruled by the Islamic dynasties of Morocco, and the oasis city of Auodaghost to the south, ruled by nomadic Berber 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.
The Sahelian kingdoms stood between the Trans-Saharan trade with the Maghreb and gold fields to the south. The oasis city of Oualata served as a trading post and customs station for Trans-Saharan caravans, though some North African traders went on to the larger cities of Timbuktu and Gao along the Niger River.

thumb|A modern camel caravan travels across the [[Sahara.]]

Merchants arriving from India in the port city of Aden paid tribute in the form of musk, camphor, ambergris and sandalwood to Ibn Riyadh, the sultan of Yemen.
Swahili city states like Kilwa, Mombasa, and Mogadishu took part in the Indian Ocean trade, acting as middlemen for trade with the East African interior as well as exporting cowries, ambergris, and animal skins.
Islamic caliphates began trading for slave soldiers or mamluks in the 9th century, including Turks and Slavs, 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.
The Trans-Saharan trade introduced kingdoms in the West African Sahel to Islam.
The Hanseatic League secured trading privileges and market rights in England for goods from the League's trading cities in 1157.
The kingdoms of the Zimbabwe plateau traded gold for manufactured products, like glass beads, iron goods, and jewelry, from the Middle East and China through middlemen on the Swahili coast.
The kingdom 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.
Marco Polo traded internationally in China
Mansa Musa, sultan of the Mali Empire, made a Hajj or pilgrimage in 1324 across the Saharan desert to Mecca, 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 in Cairo.
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.
Zheng He made several voyages 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 reached Ming China through intermediaries.
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 of Tenochtitlan served as valuable trade goods, while the city of Tlateloco was home to a large market serving thousands of people a day.
India's Bengal Sultanate, later absorbed into Mughal Bengal, a major trading nation in the world, was responsible for 12% of Global industrial output between the 15th and 17th centuries, signaling Proto-industrialization.
The kingdom of Kongo was introduced to Christianity by trade with the Portuguese, leading to the conversion of the soon-to-be king Afonso 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.
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are devastated by infectious diseases from Europe; in response, European colonial powers begin to transport enslaved Africans via the transatlantic slave trade to provide laborers for plantations and mines. This trade, in turn, was destructive to the societies of West Africa where slaves were captured and sold.
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.
While Spain tried to monopolize transatlantic trade with its empire in the Americas using the fleet system, smuggling with other countries like the Dutch was extremely common. This weakened economic control by the Spanish crown but at times strengthened local economies in the Americas.
Japan introduced a system of foreign trade licenses to prevent smuggling and piracy in 1592.
The first Dutch expedition left Amsterdam (April 1595) for South East Asia.
A Dutch convoy sailed in 1598 and returned one year later with 600,000 pounds of spices and other East Indian products.
The first English outpost in the East 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 the Ottawa river trade route. During the late 18th century, the French built military forts at strategic locations along the main trade routes of Canada. These forts checked the British advances, served as trading posts which included Native Americans in the fur trade, and acted as communications posts.
Despite the late entry of the United States into the spice trade, merchants from Salem, Massachusetts traded profitably with Sumatra during the early years of the 19th century.
In 1815, the first commercial shipment of nutmegs from Sumatra arrived in Europe.
Grenada became involved in the spice trade.
The first international free trade agreement, the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty, was finalized in 1860 between the United Kingdom and France, prepared by Richard Cobden and Michel Chevalier; it sparked off successive agreements between other countries in Europe.
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 the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NOT).
16 October 1973: OPEC raises the Saudi light crude export price, and mandate an export cut the next day, plus an Embargo on oil exports to nations allied with Israel in the course of the Yom Kipper War. (also see Oil crisis)
The Nuclear 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 the Soviet Union leads to a reclassification of within-country trade to international trade, which has a small effect on the rise of international trade.
After expanding its membership to 12 countries, the European Economic Community becomes the European Union (EU) on 1 November 1993.
1 January 1994: The European Economic Area (SEA ) is formed to provide for the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the internal market of the European Union as well as three of the four member states of the European Free Trade Association.
1 January 1994: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) takes effect.
November 2018 - the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement is signed which replaces NAFTA
1 January 1995: World Trade Organization is created to facilitate free trade, by mandating mutual most favored nation trading status between all signatories.
1 January 2002: Twelve countries of the European Union launch the Euro zone (euro in cash), which instantly becomes the second most used currency in the world.
2008-2009 : during the Great 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 the Belt and Road Initiative.
2014: India launches its Make in India initiative and announces its Act East Policy.
Timeline of Brexit: the United Kingdom votes in 2016 to leave the European Union, which it formally does in January 2020.
30 October 2016: the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union is signed
30 December 2018: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership enters into force
1 February 2019: the European Union–Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) enters into force.
1 January 2021: The African Continental Free Trade Area comes into effect
1 January 2022: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest free trade area in the world, comes into effect for Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

Northrup, Cynthia Clark, ed. Encyclopedia of World Trade. Volumes 1-4: From Ancient Times to the Present (Routledge, 2004). 1200pp online
Pomeranz, Kenneth. The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, And the World Economy, 1400 to the Present (3rd ed. 2012)
Bernstein, William J. A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2008)
Vaidya, Ashish, ed. Globalization: Encyclopedia of Trade, Labor, and Politics (2 vol 2005)

Citated books

Nelson, Scott Reynolds. Oceans of Grain: How American Wheat Remade the World (2022) excerpt

External links

The BBC's illustrated history of free trade
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.