The principle trait that can be compared in the two cities of Baltimore, Maryland and Guyaquil Ecuador is their origin as mercantile societies. In her book, A Tale of Two Cities, Townsend describes the origin and crucial difference that has sent these two cities on two completely different economic paths.
Both Baltimore and Guyaquil started as mercantilist colonies. They each were dependent on exports to keep their colony's thriving. Guyaquil provided the world with cocao which was popular mostly with the aristocracy of Europe. Baltimore exported tobacco, wheat, grain and beef, but found that they could not compete with the British in that market. Each colony found that trade did not provide enough jobs. This led Baltimore to take a different route than Guyaquil.
In Guyaquil there was a large rift in the class system. The benefits from trade were only seen by a small elite: "the many should work toward the profit of the few-. The workers were looked down upon and not appreciated. In Baltimore, only a small portion did not see the wealth of trade. The two influences that created this to occur so differently were imports and citizenship. Once Baltimore began to see that they could not compete in the same markets as Great Britain, they began to trade for manufactured goods. They would take these goods and set up Country stores where they would be sold to the community. This provided for more employment and more income of the colonists. This influenced the political culture of Baltimore. It helped the colonists to see the benefits of capitalism and democracy. They were able to experience a world where economic freedom was possible: "a relatively egalitarian world-. This was not the case for Guyaquil.
The economy of Guyaquil was distorted. There was no chance for economic equality. This too influenced their political system: "the idea that relative quality in wealth distribution was an antidote to political tyranny-.
