Foreign trade as a means of overcoming environmental problems in the early modern era: the possible application of the concept of Kenneth Pomeranz to trade relations between Western and Eastern Europe

Introduction. The article discusses the impact of trade with Eastern Europe on the British industrial revolution. The author uses the concept of K. Pomeranz described in the book “The Great Divergence”. But the author does not agree with his assessment of the role of Eastern Europe. Discussion and Conclusion. The author proves that the dynamics of trade between Eastern and Western Europe in the Early Modern era was not always stagnant. The hundred-year period of stagnation was not caused by bad Eastern European institutions, but was part of the global crisis of the XVII century. Trade with Eastern Europe was important as a source of “phantom acres” that reduced the environmental burden. It provided Britain with more “phantom acres” and did so during the critical period of the beginning of the industrial revolution. The importance of trade with America was also critical, as it provided the precious metals and colonial goods needed to trade with Eastern Europe. Both these regions were important for saving the West from falling into the Malthusian trap.