The Merchant Capital's International Fluxion And The Transformation Of Modern West Europe

In the transformation period of modern Western Europe, the merchant capital once had dominated the whole economic sections. For this reason, it has great attraction to historical scholars. Because of its overseas fluxion, the merchant capital had produced the great influence to the so-called "the modern system of world ", so there have a lot of the research on it. However, the merchant capital also once had the large-scale, international fluxion within the scope of Western Europe, but this research of academic circles is not too much. This text tries to do the long-term, whole research within the scope of Western Europe, probing into the reasons of merchant capital's international flow, the process, and the influence of this kind of fluxion to the Western Europe society. To do this, it will make us know deep the economic transformation of West Europe.The text is divided into seven chapters totally. The first is the objective background of the merchant capital's international flow: social and economic factors. In the period of the feudal system disintegrating and the formation of the capitalism, the merchant capitalism had the good environment, such as the support of royalty, and it had practiced the mercantilist policy, protecting the domestic and overseas benefits of the merchant capitalism. But in the same time, there also had got the disadvantageous factors. For example, there had the long time of " precious metal famine" in the later Middle Ages, that is to say, it had lacked of gold and silver currency, and its supply was too smaller than that demand .So, this had obstructed to the capitalistic development of Western Europe greatly. At that time, Race nations of West Europe had just risen, and they usually had lack of funds to maintain the normal revolving of the nations. But in Italy, the merchant capital appeared the excess. Hence, the backward usually lent to the former. These were main social economic environments of merchant capital's international flowing within the scope of West Europe.Under those social and economic backgrounds, there are some subjective reasonsfor the merchant capital inclining to international flowing. Its flowing still had own factors. Namely, obtaining profit is the characteristics of the merchant capital, earning more gold and silver currency, and in the currency markets those can be attained easily. Therefore, the merchant capital often rushed to the different currency markets for this purpose. In the earlier Modern age, America silver entered Western Europe in the great quantity, urging the inflation worse. Under this kind of situation, much merchant capital rushed to Genoa for the speculation. The merchant capital of West North Europe is often small, and comparing to the big merchant capital, its expect is also small. Where there has the profit, they will go there. In the second half of the 16th century, there was the higher profit in the Mediterranean. Therefore, the race nations of west North Europe went down to the Mediterranean.Chapter 3 and chapter 4 track the processes of the international fluxion .In the 16-18th centuries the capital's flowing trend in Western Europe is to Antwerp and Genoa, to Amsterdam and London. Chapter 3 tells us that the businessman capital flew to Antwerp in the first half of the 16th century, flowing to the region of the Mediterranean in the second half of thel6th century. Chapter 4 tells the process of the merchant capital flowing to Amsterdam after the 17th century, and in the end of the 17th to the 18th centuries flowing to London.The last three chapters tell the international flowing had main influence on the social and economic transforming of Western Europe in the Modern age. Chapter 5 is the contact of the capital international fluxion and the transferring of economic center in Western Europe. In the Antwerp age and the Genoa age, the economic center of Western Europe still was in the district of the Mediterranean, the merchant capital of the Mediterranean controlled the Western Europe economy. However, at the second half of the 16th century, America silver entered Western Europe in the large quantity, and Venetian and Genoese capital withdrew out gradually from the trade to the financial realm for the speculation. The merchant capital of the west North Europe went down to the Mediterranean. They permeated gradually, from the corn, the spice to the silver, and controlled the Mediterranean economy in the end. The economic center of Western Europe transferred to the littoral of the Atlantic Ocean gradually.Chapter 6 is about the transformation of the merchant capital in the internationalflowing. In the Antwerp age, merchandise capital and currency capital were both important. However, in the Genoa age, currency capital occupied the predominant position. In the age of Dutch, merchandise capital held the main position in its earlier period, and then currency capital occupied the predominance in the end. In the earlier period of England replacing Dutch, the merchant capital maintained its position, but England and Dutch operated it in the way differently. The former invested in produce gradually, but Dutch would like to play the intermediate role on the international trade. The investment in production, is a more important factor that England had beaten Dutch. Finally, the merchant capital belonged to the industry capital.Chapter 7 is about the blending of Western Europe economy because the merchant capital flew in West Europe. Before the 16th century, there were two small economic areas in Western Europe. Because of the merchant capital international flowing, the blending had begun from Antwerp age to Dutch age. When the capital flew to England, the economies of South and North Europe had become the one in the content.It can be said that the merchant capital 's large-scale fluxion within the scope of Western Europe, is one of the best instances for the horizontal development in history .It had pushed the social economy and also promoted the whole development of Western Europe.