How was Adam Smith's position about the necessity of free trade and free markets different from how many national economies operated during this period?

Smith argued that by giving everyone freedom to produce and exchange goods as they pleased (free trade) and opening the markets up to domestic and foreign competition, people's natural self-interest would promote greater prosperity than with stringent government regulations.

c 3 branches because idk why they had 3 well when:

you think of it there are still contrys with 3

2018 means 2018 ce or common era

there have been other eras too including bce, which included way more years.