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among them giants and dwarfs; well…formed bodies and cripples;



civilised; half…civilised; and barbarous nations; but in all of



them; as in the individual human being; exists the impulse of



self…preservation; the striving for improvement which is implanted



by nature。 It is the task of politics to civilise the barbarous



nationalities; to make the small and weak ones great and strong;



but; above all; to secure to them existence and continuance。 It is



the task of national economy to accomplish the economical



development of the nation; and to prepare it for admission into the



universal society of the future。



    A nation in its normal state possesses one common language and



literature; a territory endowed with manifold natural resources;



extensive; and with convenient frontiers and a numerous population。



Agriculture; manufactures; commerce; and navigation must be all



developed in it proportionately。 arts and sciences; educational



establishments; and universal; cultivation must stand in it on an



equal footing with material production。 Its constitution; laws; and



institutions must afford to those who belong to it a high degree of



security and liberty; and must promote religion; morality; and



prosperity; in a word; must have the well…being of its citizens as



their object。 It must possess sufficient power on land and at sea



to defend its independence and to protect its foreign commerce。 It



will possess the power of beneficially affecting the civilisation



of less advanced nations; and by means of its own surplus



population and of their mental and material capital to found



colonies and beget new nations。



    A large population; and an extensive territory endowed with



manifold national resources; are essential requirements of the



normal nationality; they are the fundamental conditions of mental



cultivation as well as of material development and political power。



A nation restricted in the number of its population and in



territory; especially if it has a separate language; can only



possess a crippled literature; crippled institutions for promoting



art and science。 A small State can never bring to complete



perfection within its territory the various branches of production。



In it all protection becomes mere private monopoly。 Only through



alliances with more powerful nations; by partly sacrificing the



advantages of nationality; and by excessive energy; can it maintain



with difficulty its independence。



    A nation which possesses no coasts; mercantile marine; or naval



power; or has not under its dominion and control the mouths of its



rivers; is in its foreign commerce dependent on other countries; it



can neither establish colonies of its own nor form new nations; all



surplus population; mental and material means; which flows from



such a nation to uncultivated countries; is lost to its own



literature; civilisation and industry; and goes to the benefit of



other nationalities。



    A nation not bounded by seas and chains of mountains lies open



to the attacks of foreign nations; and can only by great



sacrifices; and in any case only very imperfectly; establish and



maintain a separate tariff system of its own。



    Territorial deficiencies of the nation can be remedied either



by means of hereditary succession; as in the case of England and



Scotland; or by purchase; as in the case of Florida and Louisiana;



or by conquests; as in the case of Great Britain and Ireland。



    In modern times a fourth means has been adopted; which leads to



this object in a manner much more in accordance with justice and



with the prosperity of nations than conquest; and which is not so



dependent on accidents as hereditary succession; namely; the union



of the interests of various States by means of free conventions。



    By its Zollverein; the German nation first obtained one of the



most important attributes of its nationality。 But this measure



cannot be considered complete so long as it does not extend over



the whole coast; from the mouth of the Rhine to the frontier of



Poland; including Holland and Denmark。 A natural consequence of



this union must be the admission of both these countries into the



German Bund; and consequently into the German nationality; whereby



the latter will at once obtain what it is now in need of; namely;



fisheries and naval power; maritime commerce and colonies。 Besides;



both these nations belong; as respects their descent and whole



character; to the German nationality。 The burden of debt with which



they are oppressed is merely a consequence of their unnatural



endeavours to maintain themselves as independent nationalities; and



it is in the nature of things that this evil should rise to a point



when it will become intolerable to those two nations themselves;



and when incorporation with a larger nationality must seem



desirable and necessary to them。



    Belgium can only remedy by means of confederation with a



neighbouring larger nation her needs which are inseparable from her



restricted territory and population。 The United States and Canada;



the more their population increases; and the more the protective



system of the United States is developed; so much the more will



they feel themselves drawn towards one another; and the less will



it be possible for England to prevent a union between them。



    As respects their economy; nations have to pass through the



following stages of development: original barbarism; pastoral



condition; agricultural condition; agricultural…manufacturing



condition; and agricultural…manufacturing…commercial condition。



    The industrial history of nations; and of none more clearly



than that of England; proves that the transition from the savage



state to the pastoral one; from the pastoral to the agricultural;



and from agriculture to the first beginnings in manufacture and



navigation; is effected most speedily and advantageously by means



of free commerce with further advanced towns and countries; but



that a perfectly developed manufacturing industry; an important



mercantile marine; and foreign trade on a really large scale; can



only be attained by means of the interposition of the power of the



State。



    The less any nation's agriculture has been perfected; and the



more its foreign trade is in want of opportunities of exchanging



the excess of native agricultural products and raw materials for



foreign manufactured goods; the deeper that the nation is still



sunk in barbarism and fitted only for an absolute monarchical form



of government and legislation; the more will free trade (i。e。 the



exportation of agricultural products and the importation of



manufactured goods) promote its prosperity and civilisation。



    On the other hand; the more that the agriculture of a nation;



its industries; and its social; political; and municipal



conditions; are thoroughly developed; the less advantage will it be



able to derive for the improvement of its social conditions; from



the exchange of native agricultural products and raw materials for



foreign manufactured goods; and the greater disadvantages will it



experience from the successful competition of a foreign



manufacturing power superior to its own。



    Solely in nations of the latter kind; namely; those which



possess all the necessary mental and material conditions and means



for establishing a manufacturing power of their own; and of thereby



attaining the highest degree of civilisation; and development of



material prosperity and political power; but which are retarded in



their progress by the competition of a foreign manufacturing power



which is already farther advanced than their own  only in such



nations are commercial restrictions justifiable for the purpose of



establishing and protecting their own manufacturing power; and even



in them it is justifiable only until that manufacturing power is



strong enough no longer to have any reason to fear foreign



competition; and thenceforth only so far as may be necessary for



protecting the inland manufacturing power in its very roots。



    The system of protection would not merely be contrary to the



principles of cosmopolitical economy; but also to the rightly



understood advantage of the nation itself; were it to exclude



foreign competition at once and altogether; and thus isolate from



other nations the nation which is thus protected。 If the



manufacturing power to be protected be still in the first period of



its development; the protective duties must be very moderate; they



must only rise gradually with the increase of the mental and



material capital; of the technical abilities and spirit of



enterprise of the nation。 Neither is it at all necessary that all



branches of industry should be protected in the same degree。 Only



the most important branches require special protection; for the



working of which much outlay of capital in building and management;



much machinery; and therefore much technical knowledge; skill; and



experience; and many workmen are required; and whose products



belong to the category of the first necessaries of life; and



consequently are of the greatest importance as regards their total



value as well as regards national independence (as; for example;



cotton; woollen and linen manufactories; &c。)。 If these main



branches are suitably protected and developed; all other less



important branches of manufacture will rise up around them under a



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