ABSTRACT
Dependencies differed from peripheries insofar as a great deal of tension clouded their relationships with their respective metropolises. A number of variables formed part of the complex situation that defined the dependencies. Unlike the peripheries, where servile relations of production precluded evolution in the direction of development, dependencies were not condemned to a similar fate. In assessing the situation, Francis James noted that "British mercantile restrictions kept Ireland from realizing her full potential and probably warped her development." Ideally, Spain would have liked to dominate its colonies as thoroughly as England manipulated Ireland. To this end, it, too, issued laws designed to regulate Spanish America in ways that would benefit the metropole. The mainland colonies of British North America constituted the third of the dependencies to be considered. The term regional economy is appropriate because despite Spanish attempts at manipulation, intra-American trade continued to grow, while the proportion of American goods destined for Europe decreased.
