British Free Trade Policy In The Straits Settlements(1786-1867)

In 18th century the independence of the 13 colonies of the North America made the British realize that trade monopolies were no longer suitable for the development of this great empire,and the British had begun to pursue modem liberal trade instead of Mercantilism in the early capitalist primitive accumulation period.After the victory of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815,Britain gained the world's widest colonies and acquired maritime hegemony,which is the foundations of free trade.The development of the industrial revolution made foreign trade an engine of British industrial growth.In order to seek the majority of commodity sales market,its policy began to shift to the East.After the occupation of India,backed by its rich resources,the United Kingdom turned to the Southeast Asian Strait area expansion.From now on,ensuring the safety of overseas trade,expanding the sphere of influence rather than direct rule and maximizing the economic benefits became the new imperial,namely,the "free trade imperialism".The paper focuses on the 19th century British free trade policy in the Straits Settlements.Free trade is the secret of British prosperity,and the important weight in maintaining the British Empire in the global dominant position.Since ancient times Malay world has been an important trade transshipment center,as a key point connecting Europe to China big market,the strait region has long been the focus of Western colonists competition.Under the global maritime strategy,the British Empire have to occupy the strait region located in the "crossroads" of the Southeast Asian.With the British gradually breaking the monopoly of the trade routes of the Spanish and Dutch in Southeast Asia,the British East India Company took the opportunity to occupy Penang in 1786,during the Napoleonic war it controlled Malacca,in 1819 Raffles it occupied Singapore,the British control the entire strait region finally.In 1826 the United Kingdom formally merged the three harbors into the Straits Settlements.1786-1826 Britain's steady establishment of the Straits Settlements in the Malay region is a key step towards its free trade policy.During this period the United Kingdom is in the development of liberal capitalism,its free trade reached its peak in the 19th century 40s-60s.Followed by the United Kingdom gradually removing the Netherlands,the French forces in the region,strengthening the external defense to trade priority,jointing Western countries to combat piracy,aboliting the slave trade,establishing the free trade in Singapore and implementing the new economy in the Straits Settlements Policy and other measures,the United Kingdom established the free trade policy in 19th century in the strait region finally.In the entire period of 1786-1867,the Straits Settlements is being under the rule of India,and it always adhered to the principle of internal affairs of the Malay Peninsula,but pursued the "trade priority" principle.With the smooth implementation of a series of free trade policies,Singapore quickly became the most important re-export trade center in Southeast Asia and maintained a sustainable prosperity with Chinese trading.Meanwhile,based on the Straits Settlements,the United Kingdom gradually expanded to the Malay Peninsula inland and ultimately involved in a comprehensive intervention in the Malay Peninsula.The empire in Southeast Asia's policy always revolves around its center of a system-the free trade system.The process of the gradual liberalization of free trade policies in the colonies of the Straits in the 19th century was also the process of establishing the dominance of the region.