This book attempts to examine the relationship between the workings of the international trade system and (paying attention to the goals and means of trade policies) the distribution and manifestation of political power in the international environment. Attention is paid to the historical and political contexts in which specific trade policies are carried out by individual states during specific historical periods. Other more concrete problems are also addressed: 1) a historical overview presents the development of trade policies carried out by the most important states and the formation of the current international trade system; 2) the evolution of the European nation state and the connection between the prevailing trade policy and the way a state's power potential is organized; 3) how the disruption of trade flows due to major military conflicts changes trade patterns and consequently the state's position in the international system; 4) analysis of international trade, its connection to the creation and operation of the international monetary system, and the connection of the international monetary system to political power.