AP_欧洲历史AP_European_History_Mercantilism.pdf

Mercantilism and the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions TheAgeofExploration—besidesleadingtothediscoveryandconquestofnewlandssuchastheAmericas,and overseasexpansionandnewtraderoutessuchaswithAsia—broughtaboutnationaleconomicchanges.The fiercecompetitionfortradeandempireamongEuropeanmonarchsledtothewidespreadadoptionof mercantilism, aneconomicpolicyunderwhichnationssoughttoincreasetheirwealthandpowerbyobtaininglargeamounts ofgoldandsilverandbyexportingmoregoodsthantheyimported.Theincreasedgoldandsilverflowinginto EuropefromtheSpanishcoloniescontributedtoapricerevolutionknownas inflation,whichencouragedtrade andbusinessesofalltypes.Aspricesofgoodswentup,businessmenwerewillingtotakeriskstoinvestmoneyin thehopeofmakingmoremoney.ThisnewattitudespurredthegrowthofearlyEuropeancapitalism.Astrade routesshiftedinthesixteenthcenturyfromtheMediterraneanandtheBaltictotheAtlantic,VeniceandGenoa soondeclinedandPortugalandSpainbecamethedominantpowers.Intheseventeenthcentury,citieslike London,Paris,andAmsterdambecamethecentersofcommercialactivity.Thesechangeswerepartofthe CommercialRevolutionthatinfluencedEurope. TheAgriculturalandIndustrialrevolutions,liketheCommercialRevolution,alsoimpactedEuropeansociety. Thediscoveryofnewmachineryandadvancementsinfarminghadfarreachingeffects.Theuseofnewcrops andtechniques,andtheintroductionofbettermethodsofsoilrotationenabledEuropetogrowmorefood.This helpedtoraisethestandardofliving.TheAgriculturalRevolutionprovidedthefoodfortheexpandingcity populationsanddirectlyledtoapopulationexplosioninEurope.TheIndustrialRevolution,whichstartedin GreatBritain,hadagreatereffectonsocietythantheFrenchRevolution.Thetransformationfromanagrarian toanindustrialsocietyinfluencedtheEuropeanpolitical,economic,andsocialstructure.Thelandedaristocracy, whichhadbeguntoloseinfluencebecauseoftheriseofthemiddleclass,wouldbecompletelyovershadowedby thebirthofanewcapitalistclassofbusinessmen.Theshiftfromaruralsocietytoanurbansocietycreatednew prob