ABSTRACT

In the pre-modern world thosefew societies able to pursue the dynamic strategy o f commerce were greatly favoured. They grew rich by sharp dealing rather than sharp weaponry. Although they were not saturated with the blood o f their neighbours, as were the conquest societies, force was used when words failed. T hy created flourishing cultures that sought the beauty o f reason rather than the harshness o f a darker imagination. Thy devisedpolitical systems based on a wider franchise than those found in conquest societies — political systems that gave rise to the birth o f democray. Yet they still responded to the same forces driving conquest societies — the desire to survive andprosper.