Final answer:
International commerce has led to a significant redistribution of wealth to industrialized nations, resulting in a widening economic disparity between the wealthiest and poorest countries rather than a reduction or balance in trade.
Step-by-step explanation:
Impact of International Commerce in the Last Two Centuries
International commerce over the last two centuries has dramatically reshaped economies and societies around the globe. While trade has a longstanding history, advancements post-Industrial Revolution have spurred unprecedented changes. Notably, the disparity in wealth among nations has grown rather than diminished, with industrialized countries, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere, seeing an enormous redistribution of wealth to their economies.
During the Industrial Revolution, technological advancements and productivity gains led to significant economic growth in certain parts of the world. However, this was not evenly distributed. Many regions, particularly in Africa and Asia, experienced far less growth, maintaining standards of living close to subsistence. The gap in GDP per capita between the wealthiest and poorest nations increased from having a ratio of 2.4 in 1870 to a ratio of 4.2 by 1960. Thus, statement 'b' best represents the result of international commerce during this period.
The balance in trade mentioned in statement 'c' has not been achieved between the richest and poorest nations. Additionally, despite some economic advancements in various developing nations, the notion in statement 'a', suggesting that international commerce has led to a redistribution from rich to poor nations thereby reducing economic disparity, does not hold true based on historical economic data.