The contribution of British imperialism to the globalization process needs to be examined within the broader context of the role of the state in the long-run development process from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. Development economists and economic historians generally acknowledge the importance of the market in long-run economic development. But very few admit the role of the state in positively shaping the growth and direction of the market. Patrick O’Brien is one of a few economic historians who assign a major role to mercantilist policies that shaped the direction of the development process in the Atlantic world during the age of mercantilism, 1650–1850. In a series of articles, he argues strongly that a successful application of mercantilist policies, barked effectively with military might, was what distinguished Great Britain from her European rivals in the competitive development process in the Atlantic world between the mid-fifteenth and the mid-nineteenth century.

We have argued elsewhere that the process of establishing the integrated global economy went through two main stages: the first saw the establishment of the nineteenth-century integrated Atlantic economy; the second was the extension of the Atlantic economy to incorporate the economies of the rest of the world. The state played a critical role in both stages. In the first stage, mercantilist West European states (especially Great Britain) played a central role; the second was led by the British free trade state. This chapter focuses specifically on the second stage, with some brief references to the first for context. The chapter is divided into three sections. For purposes of clarity of communication, the first section discusses conceptual issues of what constitutes globalization as a historical process and the relevance of the concept to West African history. The second examines in detail the process through which the free trade British empire integrated the economies of British West Africa into the global economy. The conclusion of the chapter is drawn up in the third section.

Conceptual Issues on Globalization as A Historical Process

Historians studying globalization as a historical process have a problem of conceptual clarity. If we do not identify precisely the defining elements of globalization from the onset of investigation, it is difficult if not impossible to present a coherent and focused study of the long-run historical development of the phenomenon. A few years ago, Frederick Cooper questioned the relevance of the concept of globalization to African history.