=319. Share of modern countries in the commerce of the world.=—It is unnecessary, I hope, to say more to impress upon the student the fact that a period of great change in the world’s history, which began half a century ago, still continues; and that the coming generation will be called upon to carry on this change, and guide it for the welfare of humanity in the future. Leaving, therefore, general discussion and speculation, and returning to the concrete and well-defined facts that form the subject of our study, I insert in this place, as likely to be of use for reference later and of interest now (though not deserving painstaking study as yet), a table showing the share of different countries in commerce about 1900. RECENT TRADE OF LEADING COMMERCIAL COUNTRIES (_Approximate annual averages in millions of dollars, special trade_) ====================+================+================+============== | 1891-1900 | 1901-1910 | 1912 +-------+--------+-------+--------+-------------- | | | | |Percentage of |Imports|Exports |Imports|Exports |total general | | | | |trade of world --------------------+-------+--------+-------+--------+-------------- United Kingdom | 1725 | 1190 | 2525 | 1700 | 16.6 Germany | 1140 | 880 | 1800 | 1470 | 12.9 United States | 780 | 1050 | 1185 | 1655 | 9.9 France | 835 | 710 | 1065 | 995 | 9.0 Holland[1] | 660 | 550 | 1020 | 835 | 6.9 Belgium[1] | 362 | 309 | 578 | 453 | 4.2 Austria-Hungary | 302 | 337 | 464 | 459 | 3.3 Russia[1] | 276 | 339 | 386 | 503 | 3.5 Spain[1] | 177 | 172 | 201 | 185 | 1.1 Italy | 255 | 219 | 480 | 343 | 3.1 ====================+=======+========+=======+========+============== A similar statement, showing the relative rank about 1850, would present only one very striking change; France held at that time the place second to that of the British Empire, and Germany came after the United States. =320. Possible explanations of recent commercial development.=—One topic of prime importance demands our attention as we enter on the study in detail of the commerce whose growth has been sketched above. What were the causes of this great commercial development? When we know them we shall truly understand the commercial history of the past century, and shall be prepared to face the problems of the present and the future.