How the Left Invented Globalization: Dr. Marc-William Palen on Pax Economica

Dr. Marc-William Palen, Associate Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a member of its Centre for Imperial and Global History, joins us to explore the key ideas from his acclaimed book Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World. Dr. Marc-William Palen’s Pax Economica recovers a largely forgotten left-wing tradition that tied free trade to peace, democracy, social justice, and anti-imperialism from the 1840s to the mid twentieth century. Challenging Cold War assumptions that equate globalization with right-wing neoliberalism, he shows how liberal radicals, socialist internationalists, feminist suffragists, Christian pacifists, and anti-imperial activists across multiple empires championed free trade as an antidote to protectionist “gunboat” imperialism and an “iron age of enclosure.” Tracing this history from British abolitionist politics and early women’s suffrage through the creation of supranational institutions like the League of Nations, the United Nations, and GATT/WTO, the book reveals how left-wing free traders helped design a more cooperative international order before their influence waned under post 1950s neoliberalism. Yet their legacy endures today in fair trade movements, cooperative economics, and ethical consumption, offering vital resources for reimagining globalization in an era marked by renewed nationalism, trade wars, and geopolitical rivalry. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. B. Prof. Marc-William Palen shared key insights from his book, “Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World”, in an engaging episode of the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.