Barter is an exchange activity that was used when there was no monetary system. This exchange, also known as barter or barter, involved only things, services, or both.
Very common among the indigenous community, during the colonization of Brazil barter was used in the extraction of pau-brasil.
The work resulting from cutting and transporting the wood done by the Indians was “paid for” with utensils of little value to the colonizers. Mirrors, machetes, perfumes or brandy were the tools that the Indians received from the Portuguese.
It was also used in the feudal system, until it was replaced by other commercial relations, as the economic system demanded more. This happened as a result of the development of cities, in addition to other factors.
Remembering that this exchange does not involve any money.
Even today, this activity can be seen in basically two situations: in small environments and in crisis situations.
This is what happens when a person who cultivates a certain vegetable for their own consumption exchanges with their neighbor the vegetable that the other cultivates. In this case, there is an interesting practice of cooperation and awareness.
In crisis situations, barter can be the way found to overcome the scarcity of specific products. As an example, we can cite the Russian financial crisis in the 1990s and, later, in Venezuela.
In the midst of the crisis, Venezuelans spend hours in lines to get goods and exchange with other people who get other types of goods.
However, the fact that there are no established values can make the exchange unfair. This is the case of the indigenous people, for example, since what happened to them can be characterized as a form of exploitation.
Read too:
- Indigenous Slavery in Colonial Brazil
- Feudal Economy
- Transition from Feudalism to Capitalism
- Brazil's Economic Cycles
