Problemy w relacjach gospodarczych między Polską a Szwecją w XVIII wieku
Problems with the Economic Relations between Poland and Sweden in the 18th Century

Summary/Abstract: The maritime trade of the Baltic countries in the modern period of history (16th–18th centuries) was characterised by strong links with Western Europe and within the Baltic Sea especially close contacts were kept along the North-South axis. This direction of exchange in the case of Poland became quite significant in the modern times when the importance of commercial contacts with the Scandinavian countries was increasing at the expense of the Netherlands. The main economic partner of Poland in the Baltic Sea was Sweden; those two countries created strong market links, which was favoured by the complementary character of the exchange. Sweden imported Polish food, mainly cereals, and – at the same time – was an important supplier of industrial articles, mainly iron ore, to Poland. The complementarity of the economies of Poland and Sweden was expressed in the fact that Poland satisfied the Swedish alimentary needs (mainly for rye and wheat), and was one of the principal receiver of the main Swedish export article – iron ore. The statistical Polish and Swedish data reveal how big the mutual exchange was, as well as how big the balance of the turnover was (generally positive for Poland); in addition, they reveal such details as the type and quantity of goods exchanged, the trends in the exchange, and what the composition of the turnover was like. When the shipping routes between Sweden and Poland are analysed, the following things should be taken in consideration: the number and tonnage of the ships engaged, the flags under which they sailed, and the ports participating in the maritime trade between those two countries. The wars the Baltic countries were embroiled in had negative consequences for the economic relations between Poland and Sweden; for example, the North War (1700– 1721), the siege of Gdańsk (1733–1734), the wars between Sweden and Russia (1741–1743 and 1788–1790) were reflected in the marine traffic between Poland and Sweden, in their trade turnover and its structure.

• Details
• Contents