***Spoiler Alert***
Who would have thought that a “pirate code” actually existed? No, I am not necessarily speaking of the “parley”
between the Captains, Jack Sparrow and Barbosa, in Disney’s, Pirates of the Caribbean. In the Invisible Hook, Leeson weighs the risks
of piracy versus the reward of booty in the early eighteenth century, and found
there were a myriad of reasons to become a pirate. Monetarily speaking, you could make 33 to 121 times
more as a pirate than a legitimate military sailor or merchant. Over a career, that’s mucho dinero. Is it
possible to connect with a pirate employer on LinkedIn?
The risk, though…you’re hanged if you’re caught—which is
seemingly somewhat debilitating. However,
Leeson calculates the risk as minimal—since we are talking about vast bodies of
water and an approximate average military count of 13,000 military
representatives each year during the first two decades of the eighteenth century. Additionally, pirates usually traveled with
at least 80 men in a crew, and sometimes in fleets, which reached up to 2,000 pirates
(as did Captain Morgan’s). So unless
they were considerably out-numbered, they stood a great chance of winning a skirmish. I
wonder if they would cover the moving costs in regards to time travel?
The most surprising fact: the pirate code was actually a
democracy based, free market system juxtaposed with an autocratic based, planned
economy proffered by the private mercantile and military industries. Pirates enjoyed the ability to elect their
leaders—or instigate mutinies—as well as maintained incentive structures such
as profit sharing and bonuses. What’s
more, Leeson articulates another historical paradigm of a successful democracy
based system long before the American Revolution, and the worldwide phenomenon
of Nationalism. I think I wanna be a
bloody pirate…This book is a very interesting read for all historians and economists…or
just pirate enthusiasts and/or live action role players.
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