Stamps and Early Capitalism

Technological changes have produced greater changes in society and history than any other factor. Hard driving nomadic tribes existed across the Asian steppe for thousands of years, but when the technology of compound bows allowed the Hunnish cavalry to pierce Roman armor by arrow from a distance, the Western Roman Empire fell. And when gun powder lowered the cost of siege warfare and could pierce armor even heavier than a man could wear, feudalism and knights and castles finally gave way to the modern period. The modern period has been defined by capitalist and pre-capitalist economies where profitable business produces capital which in turn finances further financial growth. Communication is critical to capital formation, and it is as a facilitator of rapid and inexpensive communication that stamps are a part of the history of the betterment of humanity. Hard to fathom today when communication is instantaneous and often free is the fact that until 1840 the overwhelming majority of people could only afford to communicate to people they could directly talk to. Mail was terribly expensive and postage stamp induced savings cut the cost of postage by over two-thirds in most countries and led to a hundredfold increase in the use of mail within fifty years. This revolution in communication was one of the greatest the world has ever seen.

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