trade

What British colonies were actually profitable in the postwar world? Obviously profits are not all direct — plenty of benefit to the metropole can be had via trade, resource extraction…etc. even if the state itself is making little revenue. But had the UK tried to decolonize “strategically” to...

So, I have been thinking about Somalia. Back in the ancient and medieval days Somalia was actually very prosperous, with trade all over the Indian Ocean as far as China. And of course, Zheng He visited Mogadishu on his naval expedition. My questions are: what POD would it take for Chinese...

So, I'm thinking about a scenario in which the Roman Empire has less of a trade deficit with China. You see, I've always thought about what is it that Europe (Roman and post-Age of Discoveries) has that could be desirable to the Chinese. First, I think that a more direct trade route with...

Compared to war, culture, and geopolitics, food and food preparation tend to be widely overlooked in AH circles. But as in all things, the butterflies let loose by different PODs — such as farmland being either developed or destroyed, sudden economic booms or busts, and different trade routes...

Ranking among the biggest and most recognizable post-Cold War swords-to-ploughshares programs is Russia’s conversion of its Soviet-era Typhoon and Delta ballistic missile submarines into underwater cargo ships & hydrocarbon fuel carriers. Financed with the help of western partners like Norway...

Historically, during the 16th Century, the Ming Dynasty's Navy was very poor, which is ironic, as nearly a century ago, they had Treasure Fleets to show their supremacy. After that, their Navy went into decline. Sure, they Ming had naval victories against the Portuguese in the 1520s, and the...

The Premise of this thread is to create an Alternate Alliance, Organization or Union around the world, with alternate nations. It could be an alternate alliance from OTL (Like an alternate Entente) or a fully new fictional alliance. You must discuss the history of why that Alliance formed Here...

Aside from the well-known periodic visits by Buginese trepangers, the controversial Kilwa coin and Western Austronesian traders in the Torres Strait, there doesn’t seem to have been much contact between the Old World and Australia. Would it have been possible for contact to be more intense that...

Does it necessairly have to be the most commonly spoken language in the world, or at least, the second most spoken? Let's assume, for the sake of this argument, that we have an European (but doesn't have to be one!) Great Power, which does have colonies in Africa and Asia, but never managed to...

The Spanish colonization of the Americas, including the conquests of the Inca, Aztecs and other natives brought great wealth and power to the Spanish Empire. However, that wealth was also a disadvantage, as all that silver caused economic inflation in the Spanish Empire. So what if, Spanish...

With a POD of 1756 to 1800, what if the United States forman trading company, a United States East India Company or American East India Company. This company goes to East, trading with India, and even Persia, Arabia, China, Japan and Africa. It is optional to have the USEIC/AEIC control...

How could the Byzantines with their 1450 Territories become a Trading Republic like Genoa and Venice? How would this affect history, if at all?

So, I did some researching and came across the existence of the Maritime Fur Trade between the Pacific Northwest of North America and Asia, with furs and other goods sold in China. This trade was pioneered by Russians working from Siberia, but I was wondering what would happen if a thousand or...

During the Late Middle Ages and Early Renaissance, the Italian City States (Genoa, Siena, Firenze...) had half banks-half trade conglomerate organisations that concentrated a large chunk of the financial and trade power in Europe. They developed financial innovations such as Double Entry...

What if, for some reason, Spain never conquers the Aztecs or Inca? (Most likely POD, Cortez dying, and no conquistadors come for some ASB reason), and the Spanish never gains the Large amount of New World wealth of Gold and Silver? There can be those countries who can still get rich off of...

In 1911, the Liberal government in Canada negotiated a reciprocal trade treaty with the United States that ultimately brought down said Liberal government. Suppose the deal had been ratified by both countries?

So what if, during the union between England and the Netherlands under William III, the decision was made to merge the East India Companies of both states? They were each other's first and foremost rivals and together they could pretty much monopolize the East India trade, forcing the Danish...

How do you make any of the Chines Dynasties be active traders in the world, like the Dutch IOTL, you know, they send their fleets across the globe looking for trade, places to sell their items or buy things they might want.

Would it be possible for Poland, or any other Eastern European state, really, to have an area equivalent to Western Europe's highly urbanized area, full of manufacturies, in, say, High Middle Ages and beyond? How would it look like? Where would it be located? Pommerania, Prussia? What about...

With no PoDs prior to 1661, how can this trade policy of the Qing be avoided, or at least delayed 75 years or more; and what would be the effects, on the Chinese economy and the world at large?