▁less ▁capital , ▁and ▁not ▁much ▁pressure ▁from ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁traditional ▁prom ot ers ▁of ▁colonial ▁expansion . ▁ ▁Cab inet ▁dec isions ▁to ▁an nex ▁or ▁not ▁to ▁an nex ▁were ▁made , ▁usually ▁on ▁the ▁basis ▁of ▁political ▁or ▁ge opol it ical ▁consider ations ." ▁ ▁Review ing ▁the ▁debate ▁from ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁historian ▁Martin ▁Lyn n ▁arg ues ▁that ▁Gall ag her ▁and ▁Robinson ▁ex agger ated ▁the ▁impact . ▁He ▁says ▁that ▁Britain ▁achieved ▁its ▁goal ▁of ▁increasing ▁its ▁economic ▁interests ▁in ▁many ▁areas , ▁" but ▁the ▁bro ader ▁goal ▁of ▁' reg ener ating ' ▁soci eties ▁and ▁thereby ▁creating ▁regions ▁tied ▁as ▁' t rib ut aries ' ▁to ▁British ▁economic ▁interests ▁was ▁not ▁att ained ." ▁The ▁reasons ▁were : ▁ ▁The ▁idea ▁that ▁free - tra de ▁imperial ▁states ▁use ▁inform al ▁controls ▁to ▁secure ▁their ▁expand ing ▁economic ▁influence ▁has ▁attract ed ▁Marx ists ▁trying ▁to ▁avoid ▁the ▁problems ▁of ▁earlier ▁Marx ist ▁interpret ations ▁of ▁capital ism . ▁The ▁approach ▁is ▁most ▁often ▁applied ▁to ▁American ▁policies . ▁ ▁Free ▁trade ▁versus ▁tar iffs ▁Histor ians ▁have ▁begun ▁to ▁explore ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁ram ifications ▁of ▁British ▁free - tra de ▁policy , ▁especially ▁the ▁effect ▁of ▁American ▁and ▁German ▁high ▁tar iff ▁policies . ▁Canada ▁adopted ▁a ▁" n ational ▁policy " ▁of ▁high ▁tar iffs ▁in ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 th ▁century , ▁in ▁sharp ▁distinction ▁to ▁the ▁mother