Copy Book Archive

Guardian of Peace J. S. Mill argues that free trade has done more to put an end to war than any political union or military alliance.
1848
Queen Victoria 1837-1901
Music: Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

© David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0. Source

About this picture …

‘I saw three ships...’ The Sage in Gateshead, reflected in the waters of the River Tyne. The building (which hosts music and other artistic events) is cleverly designed to recall at night the outline of three sailing vessels, a tribute to Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s industrial history in international shipping and coal.

Guardian of Peace
Many religions and political ideologies promise prosperity and an end to war, but on closer inspection there is a price to pay: all must submit, or be punished. But for Victorian philosopher J. S. Mill, great progress had already been made by sovereign nations sharing trade ungrudgingly – we need only to widen our horizons.

COMMERCE first taught nations to see with goodwill the wealth and prosperity of one another. Before, the patriot, unless sufficiently advanced in culture to feel the world his country, wished all countries weak, poor, and ill-governed but his own: he now sees in their wealth and progress a direct source of wealth and progress to his own country.

It is commerce which is rapidly rendering war obsolete, by strengthening and multiplying the personal interests which are in natural opposition to it. And it may be said without exaggeration that the great extent and rapid increase of international trade, in being the principal guarantee of the peace of the world, is the great permanent security for the uninterrupted progress of the ideas, the institutions, and the character of the human race.

Précis

Victorian philosopher J. S. Mill argued that growing peace in Europe and beyond arose not from military conquest, but from increasing trade. Commerce, he said, turned love of country from something jealous, a wish to be better off than everyone else, into something generous, a wish to share in the blessings of every nation. (54 / 60 words)

Source

Abridged from ‘Principles of Political Economy’, by John Stuart Mill (1806-1873).

Suggested Music

Symphony No. 5 in D major

4: Allegro Molto

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)

Performed by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Lloyd-Jones.

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