No, mercantilism did not involve the promotion of capitalist production relations. No, colonial trade was not a particularly important stimulus to commerce, let alone capitalism. No, the commercial exchange of commodities, whether the traditional inter-town trade or the new colonial long-distance trade or the activities of state-supported corporations, did not "bring about a revolution . . . in the structure of production." And good god no, Colbert's hyperactive regulation of textile production was not evidence of the expansion of capitalist manufacturing in France.
No comments:
Post a Comment