Conquest, Plunder and Industry

TL;DR

Raiding and plundering have become less common due to the change in economic wealth, where financial assets like stocks and bonds have replaced gold and silver as valuable resources.

Transcript

rating for loot used to be a very common practice armies would attack vulnerable cities and carry off gold and other treasure recent centuries this has happened basically not at all what's changed one answer I sometimes hear is that people in the modern era are more ethical than people in the Middle Ages or in antiquity this doesn't explain the dif... Read More

Key Insights

• 📼 The decline in raiding and plundering is attributed to the shift in wealth from tangible resources to intangible financial assets.
• 🍉 Raiding and plundering only result in personal fortune and do not contribute to the long-term wealth of nations.
• ⚾ Conquering and seizing the underlying economic base have a more significant impact on reshaping regions and increasing a society's wealth.
• ❓ Ancient civilizations such as Rome and medieval conquerors like the Normans and Manchus achieved economic growth by seizing and exploiting agricultural resources.
• ❣️ Industrialization shifted the focus of economic expropriation to heavy machinery, skilled labor, and technological advancements.
• ❓ Instances of economic expropriation are rare due to the difficulty of seizing important resources and the immense violence and killing required.
• ⬛ Contemporary societies lack both the competency and the bloodlust necessary for large-scale economic expropriation.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why is raiding and looting less common now compared to the past?

The decline in raiding and looting can be attributed to the economic shift from tangible resources like gold to intangible assets like stocks and bonds, which are challenging to carry away without conquering the entire economic base.

Q: What was the role of enslaved agricultural labor in ancient civilizations like Rome?

When the Roman Republic conquered other civilizations, they would not only seize gold but also enslave a large number of people to work in agricultural plantations. These plantations became the economic engine that fueled Rome's growth.

Q: How has industrialization changed the focus of economic expropriation?

With industrialization, the importance of seizing land and agricultural labor decreased. Instead, heavy machinery, skilled labor, and groundbreaking technology became crucial resources to seize.

Q: Why are instances of economic expropriation rare and geographically distant from each other?

Economic expropriation on a significant scale is rare because it is challenging to seize important resources and requires a high level of competence and, often, a willingness to engage in mass killing. Most societies do not possess these characteristics.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In the past, armies would raid vulnerable cities to obtain gold and other treasures, but this practice has significantly declined in recent centuries.

• The shift is not due to a change in the moral values of people, but rather the economic nature of wealth.

• Financial wealth now consists of intangible assets like stocks and bonds, which are difficult to carry away without conquering the underlying economic base.