Absolutism & Constitutionalism (Social/Economic)
In 1500-1650, serfdom was at large in Eastern Europe. Commercial agriculture and production grew because nobles forced their peasants to work even harder.Economic factors drove Louis XIV to want to expand French borders. His ideology was influenced by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, his controller general. Colbert suggested that the French produce everything that they needed domestically. For a while, France focused on producing textiles to increase the amount of exports and heightening foreign tariffs. Colbert desired Canadian lands because they were agriculturally superior and as a result, four thousand colonists were sent there. After Colbert's death, Louis XIV waged wars against the Spanish for commercial reasons, but was highly unsuccessful in the end when resources started to run out an the death toll became too high to bear.
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| Dutch shipbuilding excellence |
On the other hand, the Dutch was doing excellent. At first, they accepted Jews into business positions, which attracted investments and foreign capital. The Dutch pushed their profits into shipbuilding, and this specialization paid off. They soon had the lowest shipping rates in Europe which permitted them to sell goods at a lower price than that of competitors.
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| Millets |
Millet system
The Christian millet system was first created by the Ottoman Empire after they gained Constantinople. In exchange for strong support for the sultan, a class of religious leaders would exercise authority over their own communities. Millets collected local taxes and maintained services of their local lands.
Ivan III creates autonomy
The Mongols established an empire and made Slavic Princes pay tribute and provide slaves. Ivan III, a prince of Moscow who served the Mongols, decided that he had enough and ceased his payments. He helped establish a new autonomy modeled after the Mongols, and had weaker Slavs pay in the way they had paid the Mongols. This “Muscovite state” tax system (what Ivan III created) was modeled after the Mongols.
Serfdom consolidates
In eastern Europe, serfdom grew the most popular due to the expansion of commercial agriculture— particularly in Germany and Poland.
Time of Troubles
In this disastrous period, Russia suffered from bad harvests and crop failures. The population fell, as well as the conditions of the economy.
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| Spanish silver mines |
Decline of Spanish trade
Spanish trade with colonies of the New World declined due to competing English and Dutch traders. Slaves who worked in the silver mines in South America suffered detrimental health effects. The production of metal started its steady decrease in 1620.
Period of violence as a product of new taxes
A period of violence spawned as commoners inflicted violence upon tax collectors. In 1673, when Louis XIV established taxes upon pewter, tobacco, and legal transactions, there was a series of uprisings in Bordeaux.
Food protests of Sicily
Due to bad harvests which caused food shortages, the city of Palermo in Sicily, overflowed with public protests. The government subsidized bread in fear of rebellion; as a result, peasants filled the cities.
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| the Fronde |
Period of the Fronde
The “Fronde” is a term coined for the series of uprising which took place because of Cardinal Jules Mazarin’s failure to meet the costs of war. Centralizing the state just as his predecessor Cardinal Richeliu did, Mazarin tried but failed to increase royal profits. Although “fronde” is a word often used to describe a street urchin, in this context it applied to everyone who opposed government policies.
Navigation Acts
Oliver Cromwell, after the execution of Charles, established a military dictatorship in England— at the same time, he adapted mercantilist policies and implemented Navigation Acts. In the Acts, English goods were to be transported only on English ships, giving England a virtual trade monopoly.
Instrument of Government
The Instrument of Government provided Parliament the sole authority to levy taxes. However, after Cromwell’s dismissal of the Parliament in 1655, the Instrument was never carried out.
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| Frederick William |
Junkers taxed to fund royal army
The landowning classes of Brandenburg and Prussia were called the “Junkers”. Frederick William, who came into power in 1640, desired to bring together Brandenburg, Prussia, and many locations in the Rhine. To establish a permanent standing army, he tried convincing the Junkers to be heavily taxed to finance the army. After they agreed, William eliminated his opposition and proceeded to heavily tax Prussian cities. During his reign, the state revenue increased 300%, and the military was highly successful.
Company of East Indies founded
Because Colbert wanted the French industry to take over the Dutch in Asian trade, he established the Company of the East Indies.
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| Jean-Baptiste Colbert |
Colbert applied mercantilism to France
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was the controller general under Louis XIV, and a certified economic genius. His main philosophy was that economies should serve the state— this was titled “mercantilism.”
France almost goes bankrupt
As a result of the War of the Spanish Succession, the Peace of Utrecht was established. Although it ended the war, the treaty ended French expansion and its control over commercial centers in the North and the city of Alsace.
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| French troops |
French government equips its troops
It wasn’t until 1760 that the French government paid the costs of equipping their own troops.
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