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

Carlos Suprinyak

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2025, vol. 32, issue 4, 530-552

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.

Date: 2025
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Working Paper: A 'Sudden Outrcry' for Free Trade: Autonomy, Empire and Political Economy in the Irish Free Trade Campaign, 1779-1785 (2022)
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DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2025.2530389

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