Somerset Area High School
Somerset, Pennsylvania
Teacher: William M. Simmons
Why Nations Are Free
By Brad Shannon
12th Grade
In my essay I described why [the nations I chose] are free and not free.
New Zealand is located in the Oceania southeast of Australia. Its climate is mainly temperate with sharp regional contrasts. New Zealand is mainly mountainous terrain with some large coastal plains. New Zealand was under the rule of the UK, and under that rule they were forced to buy British goods. They had what was called an agrarian economy. The British exported goods to New Zealand that were not always…the best quality and the British also often over charged for the goods. But in 1980, New Zealand gained [its] independence and began a new government, along with a new free market. A parliamentary democracy was set up based with the acts of the British government. Today New Zealand has become a nation that is industrialized; they can compete in the worldwide market. This helped to boost [the] population's] income. Without the restrictions of the British they can import from whomever they please and export to make profits that raise the GDP [gross domestic product]. New Zealand imports largely agricultural goods and…services…. Without the compelling restrictions, duties, and tariffs of a hindering government, New Zealand is now a free market [practicing] free trade.
Germany is located in central Europe; it has a temperate and marine climate. It is cool and cloudy with wet summers and cold winters. Germany['s] lowlands [are] in the north, uplands in the central part of Germany and in the south are the Alps. Germany has come a long way. Their government is a Federal Republic, instead of the German Reich. During the Nazi era, Nazis deliberately closed the market to weaken the people who opposed them. But today, Germany is a “Social Market Economy,” open to free trade but still protecting its own market. The West Germans wanted this most especially after being under the control of the communist. Here they still trade openly with the world but certain tariffs and duties are imposed to keep the German market and the world market even. In other words, if a German good is raised in price, then the imported good would receive a duty or tariff to raise it[s] price. This is good because then the German market is protected from losing it national businesses. Because of the inability to modernize and integrate the economy of the entire nation, Germany’s deficit has gone beyond the EU's 3% debt limit.
Argentina is located in South America boarding the Atlantic Ocean and Chile [with] sub Antarctic in the southwest [and] the Andes Mountains [on the west]. It has a mostly temperate climate but [is] arid in the southeast. Argentina has [a] rich fertile plain in the north and rolling plateaus in the south, [making it] perfect for farming.
Argentina [is] a Republic…. [It] recently experienced an economic crash. The peso’s peg to the dollar was abandoned, …causing the exchange rate to plummet. The GDP fell 10.9%. Later the economy stabilized but at a lower level. Argentina is recovering with lower unemployment and the GDP is rising each year.
Argentina has [many] natural resources and a highly literate population. The reason Argentina is not so free in the world market is because of the massive amount of corruption in the government. The government is constantly taking bribes and payments. The rich and powerful overshadow the poor. [The economy needs more] exchange with the world market.
Laos is located in Southeast Asia. It has a tropical monsoon climate with the rainy season from May to November and the dry season from December to April. Laos has many mountains and some plains and plateaus, but remember, its only a little bit bigger than Utah. Laos is the least economically free nation I have chosen. Laos has a government called “Lao Peoples Democratic Republic” but [it] is still an official communist nation. …In 1986 it began decentralizing control and encouraging privatized businesses. This created a high growth rate, but…still, Laos has an extremely poor infrastructure; with no railroads, with dirt roads, with little telecommunications. Recently Laos has been able to trade with America; this is good because now they can get better goods at a lower price. But this is only a small step towards the free market that they need. Being under…communist control has created a fear and a sense of helplessness among the people [of] Laos. The people are repressed…and th[is] hinder[s] their economy.
This is why [the countries I chose] are free.
Answers To Questions Triggered by the Required Reading
Q1-Be the Devils Advocate and counter Benjamin Franklins Statement that "No nation was ever ruined by trade.”
Trade has ruined nations, for example Japan attacked America in the Second World War because America cut back their oil trade with Japan.
Q2-Name five nations that surprised you.
Chile, Italy, Japan, France, South Africa.
Q3- State the reason you chose the countries to answer Q2.
Chile because I thought it would be less free. Italy, because [I] thought it would be [freer]. Japan because with Americas' influence I thought it would be freer. France because I thought it would be less free because of how they like to protect their culture. And South Africa because [I thought] after being under England’s' rule they would be less free.
Q4- List twelve nations that out ranked America.
Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, Estonia, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Denmark, Iceland, Australia, Chile, Switzerland.
Q5- Take 10 categories from the index and place all 45 variables in the categories.
Though searching on the Internet and on the given sight, I could not find any information for this question. My teacher could also not find any information on this topic either.