A Study Of The Levant Company

Levant Company,one of the chartered companies in Britain in the late 16 th century,is a representative of the modern commercial organizations established by the British government according to the principle of mercantilism.It plays an important role in the history of British overseas trade.As an important representative of the concessionaire,Levant Company monopolized the trade activities between Britain and the Ottoman Empire in the Eastern Mediterranean and expanded the colonial scope of Britain in the Near East.To a certain extent,it promoted the development of British capitalism and social transformation,and also objectively promoted the political and economic development of the Ottoman Empire.Based on the in-depth interpretation of domestic and foreign literature,this paper attempts to take Levant Company as the main research object,analyze its historical background,development process and operation mechanism,explore the impact of Levant Company on the world trade relations in the Eastern Mediterranean,and further reveal its far-reaching impact on the political and social transformation of Britain and the Ottoman Empire.This article mainly divides into three parts:The first part is the introduction,which mainly discusses the main basis of the topic selection,the current research situation at home and abroad,the theoretical and practical significance,as well as the research features and innovations.The second part is the text,which is divided into four chapters.The first chapter mainly analyses the historical basis of Levant Company.In the late 16 th century,under the background of mercantilist policy in Western Europe,the combination of monarchy and commercial capital appealed for the emergence of new economic organizations and trade forms,the need for British monopoly trade,colonial expansion and the development of navigation technology,which made it possible for the establishment of chartered companies represented by Levant Company,while the relative decline of the Ottoman Empire enabled Western countries to expand in the East.The scope of China Sea's trade provides more space for the development of Chartered companies.The second chapter mainly introduces the development process of Levant Company.In order to expand trade in the Mediterranean,Queen Elizabeth merged Turkish and Venetian companies to form Levant Company,which monopolized trade and franchise rights in the Eastern Mediterranean region by granting it a charter.It not only gained political support from domestic businessmen,but also confronted Spain by forming alliances with the Ottoman Empire.Levant Company developed rapidly in its early stage and gradually excluded the trade activities of other western countries in the Eastern Mediterranean,but it also suffered from competition from foreign businessmen,other franchising companies and even traditional businessmen of the Ottoman Empire,thus showing a declining trend of development.With the development of the times,the licensing form of Levant Company no longer meets the needs of British foreign trade.In addition to the frequent wars,the British government gradually withdraws the licensing,and finally declared its dissolution in 1825.The third chapter mainly elaborates the organization and management of Levant Company.Levant has formulated a series of management systems to ensure its sound operation as a corporate entity.As a merchant consortium,Levant has formulated a series of rules of membership access,including the admission of apprentices and the payment of membership fees.The company has an agent system.Its governing body consists of a board of directors,acting directors and assistants.It relies on three charters issued by the King of England to obtain trade privileges,carry out trade activities and serve British government.The government exercises diplomatic and political functions.Chapter four mainly discusses the historical influence of Levant Company.Levant Company 's trade activities in the Mediterranean and its media role in communicating Britain and the Ottoman Empire have not only impacted the traditional economic model of the Ottoman Empire,but also objectively influenced the political trend of the Ottoman Empire.As one of the representatives of chartered companies in modern Britain,it also greatly promoted the development of British overseas trade and the transformation of British society.However,the concessionaires represented by Levant played an important role in the early colonial expansion of Western Europe.Western European countries used commercial means to monopolize the overseas trade market in the form of concessionaires,which provided an important prerequisite for the subsequent colonial rule.The third part is the conclusion.The case study of Levant Company reflects the commonness of the franchise company under the mercantilist background.The economic model of the franchise company has impacted the economic system of the traditional empire represented by the Ottoman Empire,involving it in the capitalist world system,thus becoming the raw material supply place of the western powers,gradually accepting the advanced ideas of the West,and starting the modernization reform and political transformation.The concessionaire has expanded the scope of British overseas trade,cleared the barriers for Britain to become a commercial power and a capitalist country,but as an important tool for British colonial expansion,it also provides important conditions for British overseas expansion and the establishment of the "Sunset Empire".