3. Make a written summary of the hindrances to commerce in France at
the end of this period. [Taine, The ancient regime, N. Y., Holt, 1876,
$2.50; Edward J. Lowell, The eve of the French Revolution, Boston,
Houghton, 1900, $2.]
4. Thomas Mun, an Englishman who lived in the seventeenth century,
wrote that the regular means “to encrease our wealth and treasure
is by _Forraign Trade_, wherein wee must ever observe this rule; to
sell more to strangers yearly than wee consume of theirs in value.”
State the arguments by which Mun would support this proposition, and
determine your own opinion on the question.
5. Make a brief written statement of the difference between
mercantilism and protectionism.
6. Define the attitude which the mercantilist would assume toward each
of the following trade phenomena: import of raw silk, export of silver
plate, export of silk goods, import of knives, import of gold bullion,
import of salt fish.
7. Study, in a book on economics, the influences determining the
distribution of the precious metals, and show how mercantilism was
bound to fail in its object of increasing the money in circulation in
a given country. [For a brief and clear discussion see F. A. Walker,
Pol. econ., advanced, N. Y., Holt, sects. 176-178.]
8. Discover, in the writings and speeches of American protectionists,
evidence of mercantilist views. [See, for example, Roberts, Government
revenue, Boston, 1884, or R. W. Thompson, History of protective tariff
laws, Chicago, 1888.]
9. Criticism of the old colonial policy. [Adam Smith, Wealth of
nations, Book 4, chap. 7, part 2, reprinted in Rand, Ec. hist., chap.
1.]
BIBLIOGRAPHY
A bibliography, unfortunately ill suited to the purposes of untrained
students, is appended to chap. 22 of Cambridge mod. hist., vol.
3. See also the histories of economics by Cossa and Ingram, under
mercantilism.
Of general discussions the student must choose between the chapter
noted above, J. N. Figgis, Political thought in the sixteenth century,
which is abstruse and theoretical, or Cheyney, Eur. background, chap.
6, Political institutions of Central Europe, 1400-1650, which is
concrete and descriptive; neither is satisfactory for our purposes.
Probably the most intelligible discussion will be found to be Seeley’s
**Expansion of England, especially lecture 4, the old colonial system;
and lecture 6, commerce and war. Schmoller, **The mercantile system,
deserves its place as an economic classic, but will be found difficult
by beginners. A brief account of mercantilism, by Ingram, will be
found in the Encyc. Brit., 9th ed., 19: 354-358.
Among the smaller manuals can be recommended: Cunningham and McArthur,
chap. 4; Warner, chap. 9. Thomas Mun, England’s treasure by forraign
trade, N. Y., Macmillan, 1895, $.75, presents mercantilist views in
their typical form, and is an excellent source for somewhat advanced
students; chapters may be assigned for discussion and criticism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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