Mercantilism
By Nathan Morrow and Johnathan Jillson
Define
It was a national economic policy during the end of the age of Feudalism aimed at accumulating monetary reserves through a positive balance of trade epically of finished and valuable goods.
Detail
Cause
The origins of Mercantilism start when feudalism is loosing power and when people started using currency, which is valuable to everybody, people invested in increases of technology. People now could save money for long periods of time to make investments in the evolving technology, transportation, and excess of goods to make trading companies and empires.
Characteristics
1: High tariffs on manufactured goods was the main economic policy of Western Europe.
2: Mercantilism was the dominant power from the 1500's to the 1800's during the Renisance.
Significance
Mercantilism is significant to us today because it has influenced the Japanese's, United States' , and European Countries' trade policy. Mercantilism is also important in the fact that the East India Trading Company and the concept of free trade were created during the time of mercantilism. Finally, mercantilism created the triangular trade route between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, allowing the Americas to flourish getting us to where we are today.
Dutch trading ships
East India Trading Company's control over India
Trade routes and goods during the age of mercantilism
Sources
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ee0Uli9-H4U/T-mp9YZzM5I/AAAAAAAABJs/xDNA_vMyyuk/s1600/Dutch%2Btrading%2Bships%2B(Vlieten)-1024x768-11912.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/India1765and1805b.jpg
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/jabates1/digitaltimeline/Timeline/mercantilismmap.jpg
http://web1.boisestate.edu/econ/lreynol/web/PDF_HET/MERCANTILIST.pdf