A Study Of Markets In Early 18th Century Londo

In the 18 th century,Britain began the process of transition from traditional society to modern society,and after experiencing a relatively stable political situation and the previous economic accumulation,British society has fully developed in commerce and consumption.London,as the capital of England,was both a political center,and an important place for trade and consumption.Gradually,a unified national market centered on London was formed.British author Daniel Defoe’s three-volume work A Tour Through the Whole Island of Great Britain(Abbreviated as A Tour)is an important historical source for understanding British society from the late Stuart dynasty to the early Hanoverian dynasty.In this book,Defoe repeatedly describes the markets he travels through,concentrating in particular on the markets in London,the capital,and discussing the status and value of the London market among the whole nation’s markets.Therefore,the London market is the focus of this paper.The first chapter of this paper discusses the development of the London market,starting from the emergence of London market,then discusses the formation of a unified domestic market centered on London in terms of political environment,transportation,domestic trade,urban development,etc.This chapter tries to grasp the historical development of the market as a whole,through to the early 18 th century when Defoe wrote his masterpiece.The second chapter begins with an analysis of Defoe’s creation of A Tour,and then then elaborates on the local supply market in London in A Tour,including both supply products and supply methods,and finally gives a general overview of the market within the city of London and clarifies its relationship with the local supply market.The third chapter summarizes the characteristics of the London market in the early 18 th century through the London market in A Tour and other documentary sources,to argue that the London market is characterized by a large market size,a strong degree of specialization,and diversified forms of trade.The fourth chapter illustrates that before the Industrial Revolution,the impact and significance of the 18 th century London markets on the development of everyday consumption and commercialization,including the important role of London’s market organization represented by the stores in the "consumer society",and the market as the engine of commercial development and economic growth,thus presenting the social and economic landscape of London during this period.The purpose of this paper is to use the Travels as an entry point to study the development,characteristics and influence of the London market in the early 18 th century.At the same time,it is also possible to understand Defoe’s commercial and trade ideas through his description of the London market and to get a glimpse of the significance of the English market in this period in influencing the industrial revolution that came afterwards.