Protectionism and Free Trade: Egypt's Trade and Industrial Revolutions

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of protectionism and free trade in Egypt, tracing its economic evolution from ancient times to the information revolution. It explores ancient trading practices, the impact of industrialization, and the role of information technology in shaping the Egyptian economy. The report examines the country's trade policies, including the barter system, and the influence of external factors on its economic development. It covers the trading items, the impact of the industrial revolution, and the modern-day economic landscape, including food imports and mineral resources. The report highlights the significance of trade in Egypt's history, discussing the railway connectivity, the impact of technological advancements, and the challenges faced by the Egyptian economy. The study also covers Egypt's economic relations with other countries, including its import and export dynamics, and the country's role in the global market. Overall, the report offers valuable insights into the interplay of protectionism and free trade in Egypt, providing a historical and contemporary perspective on its economic journey.

Running head: PROTECTIONISM AND FREE TRADE
Protectionism and Free Trade
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Ancient Trading in Egypt................................................................................................................3
Trading items...................................................................................................................................4
Egypt and the industrial revolution..................................................................................................6
Egypt and the information revolution..............................................................................................8
Information Revolution...................................................................................................................8
Economy of Egypt...........................................................................................................................9
Food imports..................................................................................................................................10
Mineral and energy resources........................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
Reference.......................................................................................................................................13

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Introduction
Trade is a important process of the Civilization where it affects the aspects of the actions
either locally or internationally level. Trade is a process or action of selling and buying goods
from the markets. Though the trading the goods has been purchased or sales towards individual
or a community or a country where interference of any group has always makes the impacts with
one another. Egypt is one of the Ancient Country which consists of various natural resources but
there is not enough sufficient ways where the country had to really on trade for necessary goods
and luxuries. In the ancient history it has been found that the friend has started on the Predynastic
period in Egypt and it makes the continents of the trade market through the periods of Roman
Egypt1.
After a Revolution is it has become a great life line for many workers and people who
have suffered several tyrannical region and decline in economic and social conditions. However
after the evolution the Egypt economy looked really healthy and they are growing the trade in
local and international business market. The people of this country have played an important role
in the revolution where they have fought against the constant violation for improving their poor
economic condition and raise the culture, art and economic growth2. Trade and economic
Revolution has followed through an economic system which was not based on corruption and
other Monopoly or illicit games. Then it helps to gain the strength and helps to encourage in
investment priorities productivity and promotes the society’s earning. It took several years for
Egypt to gain their economic Revolution where it helps to economic development and
1 Khorshid, Motaz, Saad Nassar, and Victor Shaker. An Agriculture Economy Interaction Model for Egypt-Analysis
of the Proposed Free Trade Agreement with USA. No. 9243. EcoMod, 2016.
2 Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what in
MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.

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improvising the citizens3. When they gain their strength back it makes the appearance against the
legitimacy of economic system. It only allow the country for allocating resources to the various
production and service sectors where it helps provinces the generation of society and achieve the
basic goal in trading system. It basically consists of economic and national security modernizing
industry and economy high salary job opportunities generating intensive production fighting with
Monopoly ensuring fair distribution of income and promoting competitiveness, controlling price,
increases supporting the weak and countering foreign economic threats4.
Ancient Trading in Egypt
Most of the Egypt economy has dependent and control on a barter system without cash
until the Persian invasion has been introduced in the Egypt. On this period of time the trade has
been processed through an exchange of goods and services on a similar standard value for both
the parties become satisfied with the fair transaction. This service of trading is also known as a
Deben, which is recognized as a coin made of 90 grams of copper. Sometimes it also made of
silver or gold for expensive luxury items along with the proportionate changes in value5.
At the time of the first dynasty of Egypt the trade has been found with a profitable and
long establishment in Mesopotamia where the king introduced a strong Central Government at
the capital of Memphis and Bureaucracy also establishes switch control the details of trade
business of the country along with trading with neighbor lands. In this time Egypt has been make
the development of Egyptian art, religion and cultures due to the early trade partner of
Mesopotamia. The Sumerian culture also helps to develop the art. religion and culture of trading
3 Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what in
MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.
4 Ashtor, Eliyahu. Levant Trade in the Middle Ages. Princeton University Press, 2014.
5 McCann, Anna Marguerite. The Roman port and fishery of Cosa: a center of ancient trade. Princeton University
Press, 2017.

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in Egypt. In the ancient history the researcher has found that the famous Narmer Palette from
first dynasty has made the trade business in various designs on the knife and cylinder seals. First
of all the international trade by the Egyptian has been initiated with the regions of Levant, Libya,
Nubia, Cannon and Syria. The main thread has been processed through the medium of water
where they used to build boats of wood and those are sent regularly to Lebanon from Cedar. The
trade business completely dependent on the Wadi Hammamat from the Nile to the Red Sea
where they backed the goods and tide backs those on the donkeys and delivered to the other
regions. On the period of middle Kingdom of Egypt the empires of Egypt mostly trades for the
contribution to the wealth necessary for building monuments like Temple of Karnak, the
Colossoi of Memnon and the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut6.
Most of the time the trade helps Egyptian Emperors to build various monuments where
they invest the most of the valuable materials like old Kingdom of Egypt help fund pyramids of
Giza and other monuments also. Hatshepsut is also known one of the best trade expeditions to
trade into Punt where they carried valuable items like woods and luxury items7.
Trading items
The trading items depend on the region to region about the availability of the raw
materials. Egypt is a country which consists of various natural resources which they have a trade
in local and international market. The trading goods are woods, metals, precious stones needed
for amulets jewellery, ornamentation, oil, sugar and tobacco. According to the Egyptians’
believes that the king is owner of all the land of everything who produced in the country because
they have only power to ordained and sanctified to the Gods for creating everything in the world
6 Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Oxford University Press,
2014.
7 Ashtor, Eliyahu. Levant Trade in the Middle Ages. Princeton University Press, 2014.

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and their work is being as a mediator between the Gods and people. Therefore the everything on
the farm along the Nile which has been produced they are considered as the property of the king
and those are directly send to the capital for distribution among the people and the other parts
used for the trade. Agriculture is one of the important parts of Egyptian life where they
manufacture varieties of products like farming where they include the grains and the cattle who
are used for leather and teller, pork from pig’s, linen from flax, bread, beer and many more
things. Most of the time this things are found to be more profitable which helps them to earn
more value by trading the raw materials to the other states or country. The king holds the
responsibility to take care for the people the land and control and maintaining the principle of
harmony. They always make sure that there was enough food for every Egyptian and they always
take every step for regain the Goodwill on the Gods8.
The Egyptians later found more protection from the government where they include the
police force that are look for the border crossing where they collect tolls and protected toll
collectors. They also look out for the merchants who coming and going from the cities and
villages in the areas for their trade business. Sometimes the merchants provided gifts to the
police forces for their benefits in the business and pass the border area of the state. If any
merchants got robbed then they have also right to appeal to the authorities for the justice and the
government also provided the proper order according to the situation9.
However in the recent days Egypt has been found to be the 52nd largest export economy
in the world. It exported and imported various trading goods which help to became one of the
largest business area in the world. The Egyptian best in exports of gold, crude, petroleum,
8 Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what in
MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.
9 Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Oxford University Press,
2014.

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refined petroleum, nitrogenous, fertilizers and insulated wire. The imports items are refined
petroleum, Petroleum gas, cars, packaged medicaments and wheat. Most of the time it is exports
their items in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
They import their products from China, Germany, Russia, the United States and Italy. Egypt has
borders in Libya, Sudan and Israel by the land and Cyprus, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and
Greece by the sea10.
Egypt and the industrial revolution
At the time of World War1 Egypt has been found to be far ahead in economic
development according to the measurement of Agricultural output, foreign trade, transport
facilities and unemployment in the industry. According to the capita of GDP Egypt has the
highest capita than Japan, half of Italy’s, more than double India’s and one eighth of the United
States. The process has also found that in this time in Egypt which also called a positive trade
balance for establishing the strong communication channels. They hold a largest railway
connectivity which helps them to developed in their culture business and establishing their
existence. Building the Railways help them to reach various countries like Sweden and Japan.
They also make their mileage towards the Argentina and Brazil also11.
At the beginning of the ancient time the Egyptians mainly depends on the Nile river
where they used wooden boats for the trade in various country but later after the revolution they
found how to build the railway for the transportation facilities when railway provides them the
mileage in between a proper time. The Egyptians use the railway mainly for the trade. They used
to export crops like cotton, onions, rice and imports building materials, coal and Timber. The
10 Khorshid, Motaz, Saad Nassar, and Victor Shaker. An Agriculture Economy Interaction Model for Egypt-Analysis
of the Proposed Free Trade Agreement with USA. No. 9243. EcoMod, 2016.
11 Ashtor, Eliyahu. Levant Trade in the Middle Ages. Princeton University Press, 2014.

7PROTECTIONISM AND FREE TRADE
railway always helps them for import and exports the products easily and helps them to utilize
their development in the indigenous capacity. They never generate feeding industry where they
thought to provide a market for the local industries by using various technical innovations which
helps them developed the entrepreneurial and financial endeavors. Not only development in the
economic system it also helps on human development where the income, distribution,
technological development and other facilities in Egypt has helped to complete those grounds.
The technological achievements make the positive impacts on the economic performance and
make the large Enterprises which help them import their products from Europe. Not only for the
large business industry the small business owners also use the grounds for running their local
business along with the international trade in the foreign local bourgeoisie like Greeks,
Lebanese, Jews, Armenians, Syrians and Lebanese12.
The Egyptian trade business always depends on the agricultural goods and primary
products where the Cotton is one of the important products which has a good dominated imports
across the Europe. It has minimum structural development on the social and economic levels
which helps Egypt in growth according to the foreign capital inflow, trade development and
transport development13.
Egypt and the information revolution
Not only in the railway connectivity for the trade business the Egypt has also make the
great revolution in the infrastructure of Information and Communication Technologies. Though
it took several times but now the Egyptian government has establishes huge infrastructure of
12 Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Oxford University Press,
2014.
13Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what
in MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.

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Information and Communication Technologies which includes free Internet, personal computer
system for every student, every home, Information Technology clubs, laptop for every
professional, e-government Gateway and the smart village. The revolution in the information
technology helps Egypt to make a highest rank according to the GDP per capita from Middle
East and North Africa. In the human development the railway connectivity is make the huge
impact for the Egyptians along with the technology capacity which helps them to increase the
economy development. In trade they had connect with the developed countries for activity and
import export system between them14.
Information Revolution
In the Egyptian history which affected the whole economic system in trade. Therefore the
industrial revolution has been found through the revolution in the railway connectivity along
with the information Technologies. Sometimes Egypt also faced with the situation where the
expansion in communication affected the potential economic growth which failed to achieve the
revolution on the human development but interference of the parallel investment in human
resource, educational system and eradicate electricity helps them to overcome the whole
situation. Due to the revolution the businesses which are based on the opportunities for small and
medium enterprises has make their impacts on the native bourgeoisie and middle class society15.
Economy of Egypt
On the part of economy of Egypt it was one of the highly planned economy has focused
where they make a great investment on the International Monetary Fund arrangement that help
them to perform and improve the economic condition. In the years from 2004 to 2009 the
14 Ashtor, Eliyahu. Levant Trade in the Middle Ages. Princeton University Press, 2014.
15 Khatib, Hisham. "Oil and natural gas prospects: Middle East and North Africa." Energy Policy 64 (2014): 71-77

9PROTECTIONISM AND FREE TRADE
economic growth of Egypt has completely failed and there equitable share of the wealth and
benefits of the growth and it affect the whole population and unemployment and
underemployment. The Global Business trade and other economic resources have been
completely fall down and not able to gaining the previous economic standards. Egypt has
reforms their economic standard according to the reduced inflation, price controls, cut taxes and
partially liberalized trade and investment. The agriculture is another part of the trade which helps
on the economic growth through Egypt from ancient time and now days the agriculture is also
largely sprayed in the whole country where they make the business, especially on the cotton and
sugar production. The other trades like construction, non financial services, retail trades and
wholesale are also helps to promote the annual growth economic rate of the country16.
The Egypt is mainly consist on the exporting their products like non petroleum products,
natural gas, readymade clothes, medical, cotton, Textiles, petrochemical products, rice, citrus
fruits, dried onion, cement, ceramics and steel17. They also import various products like
Pharmaceuticals and the non petroleum products like maize, cars and car spare parts. These all
exports and imports parts are part of the industrial revolution in recent years. It makes the GDP
per capita more than other countries in the world. The International Organization for Migration
has research on the external trade and remittance and they have found that almost 2.7 million
Egyptians make their contribution actively for the development of the country which helps them
to remittance the inflows social capital and circulation of human investment in the export and
import Trade System. The Egyptian Central Bank, the United States, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and
16 Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what
in MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.
17 Khatib, Hisham. "Oil and natural gas prospects: Middle East and North Africa." Energy Policy 64 (2014): 71-77

10PROTECTIONISM AND FREE TRADE
United Arab Emirates also help this country in the development on their economical Trade
System18.
The warm weather and plenty full water from Nile river has helped Egypt to produce
several crops in every year and by the export and import system of the agriculture, land products
of the natural resources also help them to gain the economy productivity after the 5 years of the
revolution. Most of the crops like cotton, rice, wheat, corn, sugar, beets, sugarcane, beans, onions
and tobacco are grown on the river side of Nile. Not only the crops but the application of few
modern techniques helps the Egyptian people to farming of various citrus fruits, vegetables and
flowers in the Nile Delta area which also important part of the trade in Egypt. Not only the
agriculture products and crops, the cattle like cows, water buffaloes and chickens are also export
and imports to various country and the natural products from the cattle where the made various
products by the Egyptian people where they export and import to the other States.
Food imports
Under the economy of Egypt the import items or products help the Egypt for gaining
there economic growth after the revolution in industry. The Egyptian mainly agriculture on the
25,000 km of area on the bank of Nile valley and Delta on the fertile soil which is helps them to
produce several crops and other agriculture business. For being a desert land Egyptian people has
successfully developed some desert area for helpful in the agriculture which has become the
Egypt one of the important agriculture industry in the export and import sector19.
The water resources and groundwater
18 Ashtor, Eliyahu. Levant Trade in the Middle Ages. Princeton University Press, 2014.
19 Khorshid, Motaz, Saad Nassar, and Victor Shaker. An Agriculture Economy Interaction Model for Egypt-Analysis
of the Proposed Free Trade Agreement with USA. No. 9243. EcoMod, 2016.

11PROTECTIONISM AND FREE TRADE
Egypt is also known as the gift of Nile because the Nile is one of the largest river in the
world which is a great resource of water and carried fertile soil which has been produced by the
Nile valley and delta. Though Egypt is a desert land but the Nile River help them to agricultural
and cultivated land which has great impact in trading. The groundwater has found due to the
presence of Mediterranean Sea where it supplies the water towards the coastal sent from north to
south20.
Mineral and energy resources
Egypt is consisting of various mineral and energy sources like natural gas, Petroleum,
iron ore, phosphates and gold. The Nile Delta is the main resources of the natural gas along with
the Mediterranean shore. Through the natural gas resources the Egypt has gained there one of
the part of economical growth after the revolution21. The mineral and energy sources products
provides almost 7% of GDP in every year of the country by the export and import those natural
resources to the other countries and also increase the economical development through the whole
country. They mainly export the energy resources to the developed countries like Saudi Arabia
Iraq and United States. Egypt has great resources of natural gas and Gold mining which are one
of the fast growing industries towards the Egyptian country and it helps the Egyptian government
to make several treaties and contract with the other countries for exporting the trade business22.
20 Omri, Anis, et al. "Financial development, environmental quality, trade and economic growth: What causes what
in MENA countries." Energy Economics 48 (2015): 242-252.
21 Khatib, Hisham. "Oil and natural gas prospects: Middle East and North Africa." Energy Policy 64 (2014): 71-77
22 Freeman, Charles. Egypt, Greece, and Rome: civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean. Oxford University Press,
2014.