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A ‘sudden outcry’ for free trade: autonomy, empire and political economy in the Irish free trade campaign, 1779 − 1785

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  • Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak

Abstract

In November 1779, the Irish militias known as the Volunteers rallied in Dublin demanding a free trade for Ireland. Unsurprisingly, this agenda met with opposition from manufacturing interests in Britain. Prime minister William Pitt tried to solve the dispute through commercial reforms that incorporated Ireland into a coherent imperial trade policy. But this proved unacceptable to Irish politicians and agitators, who regarded free trade as a step toward more – not less – political autonomy. The paper investigates the economic and political meanings associated with free trade during the late 18th century and how they related to the literature on political economy.

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  • Carlos Eduardo Suprinyak, 2025. "A ‘sudden outcry’ for free trade: autonomy, empire and political economy in the Irish free trade campaign, 1779 − 1785," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(4), pages 530-552, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:eujhet:v:32:y:2025:i:4:p:530-552
    DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2025.2530389
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    1. H. F. Kearney, 1959. "The Political Background To English Mercantilism, 1695-1700," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 11(3), pages 484-496, April.
    2. Suprinyak, Carlos Eduardo, 2018. "Dreams Of Order And Freedom: Debating Trade Management In Early Seventeenth-Century England," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 40(3), pages 401-418, September.
    3. Pauline Croft, 1975. "Free Trade and the House of Commons, 1605–6," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 28(1), pages 17-27, February.
    4. Reinert, Sophus A., 2011. "Translating Empire: Emulation and the Origins of Political Economy," Economics Books, Harvard University Press, number 9780674061514, march.
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