Verified Document

History Of Economics The Role Essay

But the home was very important for other reasons, again overshadowing the economy. Now people buy homes based on where they can find jobs, or even experience forced moves from their jobs -- this would have been unthinkable then. A third interesting factor of early economies is the goal of self-sufficiency that individuals had. Large amounts of wealth were not really attainable, and the basic goal of the time was to have everything you needed. This was the definition of success, whereas poverty meant you were dependent on someone else, not just underprivileged. This leads to a fourth point Polanyi makes, specifically about kinship-organized societies. These groups especially tended to have little extraneous wealth, so there were very few exchanges that actually changed economic status. Such exchanges almost always marked major occasions, like proposals and/or weddings. The principles of exchange in these times were either utilitarian or symbolic, and not part of the gray area they occupy today.

3) the Balance of Trade period of mercantilism was a long-running and concentrated effort made by the major governments of the world to protect their own economic interests and those of their citizen merchants. In fact, at this time it was thought that whatever was good for an individual merchant was also good for the nation. Different policies were employed that had different ways of balancing trade and increasing profits, with...

In addition, countries would try to import mostly raw materials, which were cheaper, and export the more expensive finished products that had the added value of work. Thus, the rise of capitalism and mercantilism is intimately tied with the beginnings of industrialization.
These policies worked in theory and largely in practice because of the New World, which provided a market for finished goods and a supplier of raw materials -- otherwise, with all trading partners practicing the same technique, commerce would have stalled. Profits from the New World and domestic production controls were enormous, but there were also losses associated with the new system. For one, the general populous became more devoted to work, and often had fewer luxuries. Wages were kept as low as possible and the price of domestic goods as high as possible in order to ensure that workers would need to put in long hours, increasing production and therefore profit even more. The system of trading also imposed tariffs on imports, and often merchants had to deal with foreign tariffs on exports, which could frustrate many business plans.

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Human History Economic Changes: During
Words: 843 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Finally, these changes established the practice of deferring to previous decisions issued by courts that in modern times is recognized as the concept of legal precedent that is essential to the American system of justice in both the realm of civil and criminal law. Political Changes: It is believed that the first King of ancient Egypt, Menes, established the first national system of government more than 3,000 years before the Common

Roles of Women in America 1700-1780
Words: 2118 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Women's Roles in Early America (1700-1780) What were the roles of women in the early American period from roughly 1700-1780? Although a great portion of the history of families and people in early America during this period is about men and their roles, there are valid reports of women's activities in the literature, and this paper points out several roles that women played in that era. The Roles of Women in Early

Role of Women Throughout History
Words: 1020 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Women in History Although women have largely suffered from political and economic subordination throughout most of the course of human history, women's roles changed somewhat throughout the bulk of the past millennium. Female roles, occupations, and social status vary from culture to culture and place to place. In general, however, women's roles in society have reflected their inferior political and economic status. Even when women work alongside their male counterparts, the

World History Economic Development
Words: 322 Length: 1 Document Type: Essay

One of the most peculiar but significant changes to the global economic and political landscapes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is the shift in manufacturing output. Whereas China and India had once been the manufacturing hubs for many centuries, North America and the Europe experienced the Industrial Revolution and became the global leaders in manufacturing. This change also resulted in a gap in GDP between Asia and the

History of Central Banking in the United
Words: 1854 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

History Of Central Banking in the United States of America History of Central Banking This paper discusses the history of central banking system in the United States of America. It analyses the establishment, operations and functions of the central banks that existed in the history of the United States of America. The closing of these historic central banks is also being discussed in the preceding paper. It also puts light on the

History of Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia
Words: 2444 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

History Of Economic Growth in Saudi Arabia The economic history of Saudi Arabia dates back to the early civilization of the Arabian Peninsula. The Arabian Peninsula played a central role in shaping the modern economic condition in Saudi Arabia as the key trade center. Various factors shape the economy of Saudi Arabia in different ways. Its location in the desert denies it a chance to practice any form of agriculture or

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now