英语本科毕业论文-《鲁滨逊漂流记》重商主义产生的背景、原因及其对欧洲和世界的影响.doc

存档编号 赣南师范学院学士学位论文ANALYSIS OF WESTERN MERCANTILISM THROUGH Robinson Crusoe教学学院 届 别 专 业 学 号 _姓 名 _指导教师 完成日期 ContentsAbstract.2Chapter One Introduction .3Chapter Two Background. 4Chapter Three Economic root.5 3.1. Fiscal policy.5 3.2. Trade policy7Chapter Four Overseas colonization.10 4.1.Colonial occupation.10 4.2.Colonial trade.11 4.1.1.Commodities trade.12 4.1.2. Slaves trade13Chapter Five Religion.14 5.1. The Reformation.15 5.2. The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism.16 5.2.1. The protestant ethic.16 5.2.2. The spirit of capitalism16 5.2.3. Influences on Robinson.17Chapter Six Conclusion.19Bibliography.20 Abstract: Mercantilism is an Economic theory appears in 1617th century in Western European countries when their Feudal system tends disintegrate and the capitalist mode of production was gradually developing. It is a true reflection of the commercial interests of the capitalists who were in the period of primitive accumulation of capital. And it has a significant impact on European countries and even the development of the world. By depth interpretation of Robinson Crusoe , this article analyzes the background of the mercantilism、causes and the influences on Europe and the world.Keywords: Mercantilism Western Europe Robinson Crusoe colonial expansion influences capitalism 内容摘要：在1617世纪封建制度趋于解体和资本主义生产方式正逐步发展的西欧国家出现的一种经济思想。它真实反映了正处于资本原始积累时期的商业资本家的利益，对欧洲国家甚至是世界的发展都产生了重大影响。本文通过对鲁滨逊漂流记的挖掘和深入解读，详细分析了重商主义产生的背景、原因及其对欧洲和世界所产生的影响。关键词： 重商主义 西欧 鲁滨逊漂流记 殖民扩张 影响 资本主义 Chapter one Introduction In 15th century, European feudal mode of production began to disintegrate, and at the same time, the Capitalist mode of production began to appear. Primitive accumulation is essential for Capitalist Economy to develop rapidly. And the typical forms of primitive accumulation of capital first produced in the United Kingdom. It began in late 15th century early 16th century and completed in the second half of the 18th century. Since foreign trade is an important means of capital accumulation, Britain paid much attention to it. Combined with the acts of piracy and colonial expansion, Britain got a large mount of monetary capital. And this capital contributed greatly to the growth and confirmation of the Capitalist mode of production. Commercial capital plays an important role to contribute to disintegration of the feudal mode of production and the establishment of the Capitalist mode of production. During this period, in order to acquire monetary capital as soon as possible, some commercial bourgeois thinkers and representatives came up with a series of economic policies and their theoretical basis. And which have given rise to the idea of Mercantilism.Robinson Crusoe is written by Daniel Defoe, who, is a famous British novelist and is called the founder of the British realist novel in 18th century. In this book, he tells us a story about a young man who was under the influences of the Mercantilist ideas and in the context of British colonial expansion overseas trapped in a desert island for 28years. The book was written in the period when British Mercantilist ideas achieved the perfect, and it just so happens that a period of great development of British capitalist economy. For a long time, Robinson Crusoe, classified as a desert island literature, is populated in critics, and the protagonist Robinson is highly praised in the circle of English literature. Most critics think him as a man who is full of enthusiasm for work and with great determination. He struggles with the hash environment bravely; which reflects the spirits of creative and pioneering during bourgeois rise. In short, he is the embodiment of emerging bourgeoisie.In China, the dominant view is that Robinson is energetic、adventurous and willing to make progress. Though lives in the desert island for a long time, his determination and perseverance made him survive. But few people pay attention to that what Robinson has done was to chase for economic benefits and was under the influences of Mercantilist ideas. At that time, all of the trading activities and overseas colonization put Mercantilism as guiding ideology and for the purposes of getting the best interests. Such as Robinsons trip to Africa get high returns: I bought home five pounds nine ounces of gold dust for my adventure, which yielded me in London at my return almost three hundred pounds. Encouraged by huge trade profits, British people were generally interested in foreign trade. They thought they could become rich through overseas trade. And driven by this idea, Robinson set out to sea. This article will analyze Robinson Crusoe from the point of Mercantilism and show you a different Robinson. Chapter Two Background The great Geographical discovery made Western Europe and all over the world first close up. Commercial activities between continents have become increasingly active. And people were setting sail looking for wealth. Western European countries thought commercial trade and overseas expansion was the only way that prosperity. Driven by this, among the countries of Western Europe began to compete for overseas colonies and commercial hegemony as the core business of war. Economic interests become the new drivers of the worlds historical development. During this time, commercial capitalists put forward a new theory, that is, Mercantilism. Its basic content is: currency is the basic form of the wealth; pay more attention to foreign trade to get as much as possible is the main way of national wealth accumulation. The much bullion you have got, the stronger the country is. The governments can take actions to encourage manufacturing export. They can also enact maritime laws to give trading companies more monopoly privileges. Western European countries gradually bought in this theory after its birth and it was accepted widespread in not a long time. And it has great influences on the history of the Western Europe and the world. On the other way, since Robinson Crusoe was written in 18th century, which was the age Western Europe foreign trade was in the rise, it contains many mercantilist elements. According to this, research Robinson Crusoe can help us understand western Mercantilism better. Chapter Three Economic root3.1: Fiscal policySince Mercantilism is essentially a kind of business policy, we can learn trade conditions of that time better from the fiscal policies of mercantilist countries.Mercantilists hold a view that gold and silver is the only form of wealth; everything they do is to get gold and silver; whether a country is strong or not is depend on how much currency it has; the proportion of worldtrade is stable, gold and silver can be got by export more and import less; Surplus is an efficient way to get treasures; in short, the government should encourage world trade. This view has its intrinsic root. From the 15th century onwards, with the development of commodity economy, feudal ruling classincreasing luxury consumption made Western European countries in urgent of gold and silver. On the other hand, after the ship route between Europe and Asia was opened, the trade between them grows fast. However, in the trade with the east, western countries exported far more gold than the number of import. As a result, a large amount of gold outflow from Europe made western countries desperate for gold. As Friedrich Von Engels once said“the Portuguese are searching for gold in the coast of Africa 、India and all over the Far East; gold, a word which become a spell driving the Spanish to sail.; gold is also what the whites were seeking for when their first step on new land. ” In order to acquire currency, and limit its output, the western countries often set out policies. The Britain took a series of measures like regulation and punishment to achieve that goal. In the early Stuart dynasty, Jamesand Charlesreturn to the theory of Bullionism and gold and silver were strictly prohibited output. On the other side, the government set out a rule to force the businessmen to spend their money they have earned in buying products in the local. Britain even set some agencies to supervise businessmen must exchange the money they have earned for some foreign coins or precious metal. And then they can ship them back to Britain. It was just under the influences of Mercantilism, Robinson set sail to sea. At first, he earned much, and even brings home some gold. “I bought home 5 pounds 9 ounces of gold dust for my adventure”。With the great difficulties he arrived in Brazil, he got another sum of money. “I made about two hundred twenty pieces of eight of all my cargo; and with this stock I went on shore in the Brazils”. At the first days of ship wreckage, Robinson found a large amount of coins when he was searching for some necessities of life in the ship. “in another I found about thirty-six pounds value in moneysome European coin, some Brazil, some pieces of eight, some gold, and some silver.” According to this, we can know that under the influences of Mercantilism, western countries external trade was to acquire currency or precious metal like gold and silver as much as possible. Though Robinson thought scorn of those coins at first time, “I smiled to myself at the sight of this moneyO drug!said I, aloud, what art thou good for? Thou art not worth to me-no, not the taking off the ground; one of those knives is worth all this heap; I have no manner of use for thee-een remain where thou art, and go to the bottom as a creature whose life is not worth saying.”but after curse, he took them away. “however, upon second thoughts I took it away; and wrapping all this in a piece of canvas.” It follow that Robinson didnt thought those coins are useless. What he said was just self-venting. Grown in Mercantilist environment, Robisons desire to gold and silver was infinitely. Though in despair, he didnt give them up.3.2: Trade policyThe trade policies of western European countries also embody the characteristics of Mercantilism. Mercantilists thought that it is important to develop foreign trade. And in foreign trade the government must obey a rule that it should sells more and buy less, make more and spend less. To achieve this goal, Mercantilists advise the government to interfere with economic activities actively. And that made the country accumulate more money.Take Britain for instance, the intervention of the government of Britain proposes was a most typical model. Franchise system is one of them. Franchise system with the period of Britain Mercantilism means that the king issue charter of establishing overseas companies or colonial companies to merchants to monopolize the trade of a particular region. The company can purchase the monopoly rights from government so that it can enjoy extensive political and economic privileges. Britains concessionaires were the result of the conspiracy of government or the king and capital. The concessionaires often loans to the government to solve its urgent needs of financial. Sometimes the government would force them to do it, too. The king invests to the concessionaires for the sake of profits. Such as when Queen Elizabeth issued charter to Lee Venter, she invested to it in half as a partner. These concessionaires mainly include Regulated Company and Joint Stock Company. Regulated Company mainly includes the Company of Staplers and Adventure Merchant Company which were built in 1415th century. From the age of 1550s, a lot of joint stock companies like Muscovy Company、East India Company were built in Britain. These companies opened the route from North Sea to the Baltic Sea, Mediterranean to Far East. After the Tudor Dynasty was built, the concessionaires began to compete with foreign merchants. In 1532, the merchants of Venice were crowded out of Britain; in 1597, the Britain government cancelled the privileges of Hanseatic League merchants in Britain. Making export and import prohibition or protective tariffs to promote the development of manufacture is another important content of British mercantilist policy. From a historical point of view, the tariffs was in the hands of the government of England long before. In 14th century, the state of United Kingdom protected its wool textile industry by increasing wool tariffs and import prohibition. From then on, the kings in all ages were trying to protect domestic industry. Charles prohibited export yarn and rinse soil to foreign companies, meanwhile, he prohibited import various forms of lace and jewelry fake. From the dynasty of Tudor, Britain gradually relief of the export taxes and reduced the material import duties. In the civil war and later, export taxes were abolished; The wool textile taxes were exempted in 1700. And finally in 1722, this process was completed by Walpoles tax reform. In the meanwhile, the tariff rate of imports improved gradually after Glories Revolution. In 1690 and 1693, the import surtax began to appeal. The tariff rate was five or ten per cent, sometimes twenty per cent, which was almost two thirds of the imports value. From that time on, the tariff barriers was increase all the time. Before that, most of import goods were levied only five per cent tariff and now fifteen per cent at least, most twenty to twenty-five or more. Protected by high rate of tariff, inventors and reformer in Britain finally solve the problem with the cotton textile and then resist the impact of India cotton textile. In addition, Britain also gives bonus and subsidies to commodities export such as grain export. In 1635, Britain established Transit Drawback system, which promotes its export. Chapter Four Overseas colonization Overseas colonization with the period of Mercantilism was a result of commodity economy develops to certain stage. After 16th, capitalism productivity developed so fast that the domestic market can not meet its need. As a result, Western European countries cried out for overseas market to sells the products they had produced. Given to that, in this period, Western European countries built colonies to seek for profits, but not for territorial expansion. It includes two characteristics, one is colonial occupation, and the other is colonial trade.4.1：Colonial occupationAfter sail route was opened, Portugal、Spain、Britain、Netherlands and some other countries started their sailing career. The Geographical Discovery, which were launched and then completed by Portugal and Spain, expend the world map greatly. Under the attack of warships, a lot of strategic places of marine transport were captured by Portugal. And these were what Portugal depend to monopolized half of the earth merchant course. In the meanwhile, Spain also occupied large piece of land. Netherlandss colonial expansion began from the late 16th century. And it is a country that had strong maritime force. It occupied Southeast Asia and a part of America. The next one was Britain, in the middle of 17th century, the time when English Bourgeois Revolution was succeed, its economic and military power greatly strengthened. From then on, Britain began to colonial expanded and fights for other countries. Until 1880, the size of Britains colonies is 11.3 million square kilometers, which was almost 47 times of its territory. Apart from the countries mentioned, some other European countries were also begun to colonial expanded. By contrast, Robinsons occupation to the island is also a colonial expansion. When he first stepped on the island, Robinson observed on the entire island with a masters eyes. Just a couple of days lived on the island, Robinson thought the island was his Kingdom and everything on the island belongs to him. “I was king and lord of all this country indefensibly, and had a right of possession; if I could convey it, I might have it in inheritance as completely as any lord of manor in England.” That shows people his essence, a colonist. However, to the Indigenous peoples, who were so called aborigine, their land was deprived by Robinson. Since Robinson became the owner of the island, the Indigenous peoples could not step on the island. Their appearance on the island was seen as invasion. He built many fortifications on the island just after he arrived on the island. And defense works did not designed for beasts, but for “savages”.The “savages” are those Indigenous people. Since he robbed them of their land, he afraid of their revenge. That is why he was so scared when he saw the footprints on the beach. He was afraid of “savages”, and he felt sick of them, too. So Robinson took everything to defend his colonies. He would shot them if necessary. “my mind was thus filled with thoughts of revenge and a bloody putting twenty or thirty of them to the sword”。4.2：Colonial trade4.2.1: Commodities tradeThe Western European countries thought the colonies as their raw material origin and commodities markets. And the colonies were not allowed to compete with the sovereign states in business. So the development of colonies was limited, and the industry was restructured. The sovereign states hope the colonies became their economic appendages by these means. In 16th century, Portugal and Spain