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RE: Property as Theft: The Libertarian Socialist Critique of Property (Part 1)

in #anarchism6 years ago

Native Americans didn't have free markets. In North America, they were mostly Nomadic, hunter and gatherer, or agrarian with gift economies. Certain groups developed extensive trade, like the Anasazi in North and the Maya and Inca in South America, but those groups didn't have free markets, as their markets were based on conquering other tribes and civilizations and stealing their wealth. Those groups were constantly at war and even tended to engage in canibalism. No free trade utopia there. And the United States never had free trade. The government incurred huge debts during the Revolutionary War and then bought a whole bunch of land out West (Louisiana Purchase), then had to finance that through tariffs, etc. Commerce was regulated from the beginning. There was a central bank too, with currency controlled by the State. That was abolished by Andrew Jackson, but he's no Saint of Free Trade either. Under his guidance, the federal government stole the land, as well as all the personal belongings, of well over 100,000 people. Your belief that free markets ever existed is based on a lack of knowledge of history.

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well its not a Utopian idea thats for sure free markets are when governments are left out of it if thats a utopia then everything is and anarchy would be a utopia as well. I guess I just want to believe that we can have a society built on voluntary transactions.