End of Book 4 & Book 5, Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

In the 1700s, Holland was a place of extensive international trade. They were very possessive of their control of the exchange of goods. As such, they went out of their way to push out or to prevent the British from gaining control of the import/export aspect of the market. Smith follows this by saying that the "act of navigation, is, perhaps, the wisest of all the commercial regulations of England," (p. 431). The author's final note for "Book 4" is as of 1776, he is certain that there will never be entirely free trade throughout the various nations of the British Isles again. Readers can consider to what extent those rules resemble the "Free Trade Agreement" for the 3 nations of North America in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Book 5 is the last of...