"Progressive autochthonous cultures had brought Stone Age technology, the sole kind possible for them, to an astonishing sophistication. Once contacted by humans, they were eager to trade, originally for metals, subsequently for means to build modern industries of their own. Diomedes offers numerous organic substances, valuable for a variety of purposes, cheaper to buy from natives than to synthesize...." (pp. 418-419)
As ever, Poul Anderson displays an excellent grasp of interstellar economics: "...cheaper to buy...than to synthesize..." was the basis of the Polesotechnic League. But why did some Diomedeans not try to get into space, as the Ythrians and the Cynthians had done? Did Diomedeans join Supermetals in the League period? They are not mentioned in this connection as far as I remember.
Interstellar contact forces radical change on ancient customs. Some cultures adjust. Others suffer. But Flandry reflects that, if the Imperials were to withdraw, then all Diomedeans would be much worse off:
2 comments:
It's comparable to, say, Nepal or Rwanda. Distance and transport costs mean there isn't much trade per-capita -- but what there is can be crucially important.
Eg., on Diomedes the descendants of the "Fleets" need human-made drugs to maintain a year-round libido. The planet doesn't have domestic capacity to make them.
On earth in 2022, remote countries like Nepal have to import nearly all their advanced medical gear and drugs, and probably send their would-be doctors across their borders for training.
Ditto for, frex, electrical generators and computers. And automatic rifles, for that matter.
PA makes the Terran Empire seem like a real place - places.
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