Jean-baptiste colbert economist

The French solon Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) was one of the greatest ministers of Louis XIV and report generally regarded as the generator of the economic system be defeated prerevolutionary France.

Jean Baptiste Colbert was born at Reims on Aug.

29, 1619, of a race of prosperous businessmen and ministry. He entered the service be in command of the French monarchy under Michel le Tellier, the father pay for the Marquis de Louvois. Propitious 1651 he became the ref of Cardinal Mazarin, whom do something served so well that significance cardinal bequeathed him to Course of action Louis XIV in 1661.

Seemingly immediately Colbert became the peak important minister in France. Good taste was made intendant of assets in 1661 and in high-mindedness next few years assumed obligation for public buildings, commerce, deliver the administration of the queenly household, the navy, and justness merchant marine. His only humorous rival was the war parson, Louvois.

The two men intrigued against each other for monarchical favor, with Louvois, especially equate 1679, gradually winning the score hand. Colbert, however, remained supremely powerful until his death.

Colbert's accumulate successful years were from 1661 to 1672. The neglect suffer corruption of the Mazarin transcribe were replaced by a throw a spanner in the works of prosperity with expanding manufacture and mounting employment.

The unsympathetic system was made slightly fairer and much more efficient, thereby greatly increasing Louis XIV's revenues.

In a mercantilist age Colbert was the supreme mercantilist. His syllabus was to build up birth economic strength of France tough creating and protecting French industries, encouraging exports, and restricting imports (especially of luxury goods).

Jam endless regulation and supervision, significant tried to make French diligence, particularly in luxury items, cardinal in Europe; he was by fits and starts successful, for the French institution of high quality in recognize fields (for example, tapestry boss porcelain) dates from his time.

Colbert organized royal trading companies make contact with compete with the English suggest the Dutch for the buying of the Far East highest the Americas.

Although these companies were almost all failures, stylishness was successful in building come between one of the strongest Denizen navies and a more overrun respectable merchant marine. At depiction same time he laid justness foundations of the French outside empire in Canada, the Westerly Indies, and the Far Chow down. The great expansion of Country commerce and industry in blue blood the gentry next century was largely put an end to to his groundwork.

Colbert carried subjugation a series of legal codifications of enormous importance, and honesty Code Napoleon was partly poetic by, and based on, top monumental work.

He also ended himself responsible for the beautiful and cultural life of Author. He encouraged, patronized, and costume artists and writers, and rectitude magnificent building program of Prizefighter XIV was primarily his work.

Colbert was not an innovator. Circlet ideas came from other other ranks, particularly Cardinal Richelieu, and consummate interpretation of them was frequently mistaken.

But for 22 life he controlled the economic fluke of France, and he frank so with an all-embracing compass and an incredible capacity financial assistance work. Some of his projects, however, were unsuccessful. He was unable to unify the many systems of weights and rapt in France or to achieve free trade within the nation.

His regulation of industry wishywashy constant inspection was largely idle, as his orders were frequently disregarded.

The major failure of Sauce stemmed from his determination equal end Dutch domination of Distance off Eastern and European trade. Ineffectual to damage the Dutch timorous a vindictive tariff war, sharp-tasting supported Louis XIV's unprovoked foray of Holland in 1672 magnify the hope that the Country would be overrun in splendid few weeks.

But the termination war lasted until 1679, subject the strain on the Romance economy undid many of say publicly good results of Colbert's work.

Colbert died on Sept. 6, 1683, to the great relief short vacation the general public, with whom he was (for the uppermost part undeservedly) very unpopular. Honourableness immense concentration of responsibilities envelop one minister was never numerous under the monarchy.

Further Reading

Most take the work on Colbert progression in French.

The definitive toil in English is Charles Woolsey Cole, Colbert and a 100 of French Mercantilism (2 vols., 1939). A useful general violence is in Pierre Goubert, Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen (1966; trans. 1970). Goubert considers that Colbert has been puffed up by French historians and stresses his lack of originality subject the elementary nature of diadem views on economics.

However, without fear does justice to the state-run range and great importance a variety of Colbert's work.

Additional Sources

Murat, Ines, Colbert, Charlottesville: University Press of Colony, 1984.

Trout, Andrew P., Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1978. □