Eighteenth Century English Merchant Class

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the emergence and social and economic impact of the merchant class in England during the 18th century. The paper explains that as a result of the industrial revolution, the merchant class gained influence and authority. The paper traces this process, beginning with British society adopting a purely mercantilist approach towards trade and commerce and then the shifting of population centers from rural to urban areas. The paper then looks at how this shift impacted English attitude toward trace and commerce, commenting that it opened up society's attitudes toward global expansion.

From the Paper:

"There were some other factors as well, which affected the growth of the merchant class in eighteenth century England. In the eighteenth century, the British government imposed a legislation named "Enclosure Act", which encouraged the emigration of rural population to the cities. (Langford 70-72) In addition to this, higher wage rates prevailing in the urban labor markets encouraged the rural farmers and labors to move to cities in search for better opportunities so that they could improve their standard of living. This shift in population in turn influenced the growth of the merchant class. With the development of industries, several attractive commercial goods were made available in the cities. The availability of such commercial goods in the urban areas encouraged the urban populace to gain possession of these goods. Moreover, advancements in technology reduced the production cost and time of many goods. Several rural industries began to suffer because of the technological edge of the urban industrialists. This crisis also forced the urban people to adopt an urban way of life. (Langford 70)"

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