The 1910 Rubber Boom That Transformed the Amazon

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

The 1910 Rubber Boom That Transformed the Amazon

Listen for free

View show details

In this episode of The Economic History Podcast, Lucas and Luna explore the 1910 Amazon rubber boom—a speculative frenzy that turned a remote jungle commodity into the engine of Brazil's economy and then collapsed when British plantations in Southeast Asia broke the monopoly. They trace how Manaus became one of the world's richest cities, complete with opulent opera houses and electric streetlights before most of Europe, and why the bust left a ghost economy that still haunts the region today. The episode focuses on the specific mechanics of the boom: how wild rubber tapping, debt peonage, and a cartel-like control of seeds created an unsustainable bubble. When Henry Wickham smuggled rubber seeds out of Brazil in 1876 and the British established efficient plantations in Malaya and Ceylon, the Amazon's comparative advantage evaporated. By 1913, rubber prices had fallen 70 percent, and Manaus fell into a century-long decline. Lucas and Luna discuss the parallels with modern commodity booms, the role of geography and institutions in economic development, and the human cost of extractive economies. #AmazonRubberBoom #EconomicCollapse #CommodityBubble #Manaus #HenryWickham #Brazil #SoutheastAsia #PlantationEconomics #ExtractiveEconomy #DebtPeonage #SpeculativeFrenzy #RubberTapping #GlobalTrade #EconomicHistory #ResourceCurse #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Economics Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

No reviews yet