Merchants and Revolution : Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653

Merchants and Revolution examines the activities of London’s merchant community during the early Stuart period. Proposing a new understanding of long-term commercial change, Robert Brenner explains the factors behind the opening of long-distance commerce to the south and east, describing how the great City merchants wielded power to exploit emerging business opportunities, and he profiles the new colonial traders, who became the chief architects of the Commonwealth’s dynamic commercial policy. In Merchants And Revolution Robert Brenner Offers A Socio-political Account Of The Transformation Of English Commerce In The Century After 1550 And A Socio-economic Explanation Of The Political Activities And Alignments Of The London Merchant Community In The Conflicts Of The Early Stuart Period. In A Major Reinterpretation Of Long-term Commercial Change, He Shows That New Possibilities In The Import Trades - More So Than Problems In The Traditional Cloth Trade - Were Behind The Foundation Of The Long-distance Commerce To The South And East. Brenner Brings Out, In Turn, The Way In Which Social Groups Of Great City Merchants Wielded Organizational And Political Power To Exploit The Emerging Commercial Opportunities. The Very Success Of Elite Merchants In Their Recently Established Levant-east India Trades, He Argues, Opened The Way For A Whole New Social Group Of Entrepreneurial Traders, Recruited Largely From Outside The Merchant Community, To Pioneer The Development Of The Plantation Trades In America, Amassing Riches And Building Their Power In The Process. Brenner Demonstrates The Enormous Significance Of Merchant Politics For National Political Development From 1621 To 1653, Bringing Out, In Particular, The Decisive Roles Played From 1640 By London's Great Company Merchants In Support Of The Crown And By The New Colonial Merchants, Who Were Politically Radical And Militantly Puritan, In Support Of The Parliamentary Leadership. The New Colonial Merchants, Brenner Shows, Ultimately Assumed Great National Influence With Cromwell's Rise To Power, Becoming The Chief Architects Of The Commonwealth's Dynamic Commercial Policy.--book Jacket. Part One: The Transformation Of English Commerce And Of The London Merchant Community, 1550-1650 -- 1. The Dynamics Of Commerical Development, 1550-1640: A Reinterpretation -- 2. Government Privileges, The Formation Of Merchant Groups, And The Redistribution Of Wealth And Power, 1550-1640 -- 3. The Company Merchants And American Colonial Development -- 4. The New-merchant Leadership Of The Colonial Trades -- Part Two: The Emergence Of Political Conflict, 1620-1642 -- 5. The Rise Of Merchant Opposition In The 1620s -- 6. The Merchant Community, The Caroline Regime, And The Aristocratic Opposition -- 7. Merchants And Revolution -- Part Three: Radicalization, Reaction, And Revolution, 1642-1653 -- 8. The Radicals' Offensive, 1642-1643 -- 9. Political Presbyterianism -- 10. The New Merchants Come To Power -- 11. Political Independents, New Merchants, And The Commonwealth -- 12. The New Merchants And Commerical Policy Under The Commonwealth -- 13. The New Merchants And The Fall Of The Commonwealth. Robert Brenner. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Robert Brenner offers a socio-political account of the transformation of English commerce in the century after 1550 and a socio-economic explanation of the political alignments of the London merchant community in the conflicts of the early Stuart period. In a major reinterpretation of long-term commercial change, he demonstrates that new possibilities in the import trades—more so than problems in the traditional cloth trade—were behind the foundation of the long-distance commerce to the east. He shows, in turn, the way in which social groups of great City merchants wielded organizational and political power to exploit the emerging commercial opportunities. Brenner demonstrates the enormous significance of merchant politics for national political development from 1621 to 1653. He brings out, in particular, the decisive roles played from 1640 by London's great company merchants in support of the crown and by a new social group of entrepreneurs—the politically radical and militantly Puritan traders who developed the colonial plantation commerce—in support of the parliamentary leadership. The new colonial merchants assumed great national influence with Cromwell's victory, becoming the chief architects of the Commonwealth's dynamic commercial policy. Frontmatter List of Tables and Map (page ix) Preface (page xi) Acknowledgments (page xv) List of Abbreviations (page xix) PART ONE THE TRANSFORMATION OF ENGLISH COMMERCE AND OF THE LONDON MERCHANT COMMUNITY, 1550-1650 I The Dynamics of Commercial Development, 1550-1640: A Reinterpretation (page 3) II Government Privileges, the Formation of Merchant Groups, and the Redistribution of Wealth and Power, 1550-1640 (page 51) III The Company Merchants and American Colonial Development (page 92) IV The New-Merchant Leadership of the Colonial Trades (page 113) PART TWO THE EMERGENCE OF POLITICAL CONFLICT, 1620-1642 V The Rise of Merchant Opposition in the 1620s (page 199) VI The Merchant Community, the Caroline Regime, and the Aristocratic Opposition (page 240) VII Merchants and Revolution (page 316) PART THREE RADICALIZATION, REACTION, AND REVOLUTION, 1642-1653 VIII The Radicals' Offensive, 1642-1643 (page 393) IX Political Presbyterianism (page 460) X The New Merchants Come to Power (page 494) XI Political Independents, New Merchants, and the Commonwealth (page 558) XII The New Merchants and Commercial Policy under the Commonwealth (page 577) XIII The New Merchants and the Fall of the Commonwealth (page 633) Postscript (page 638) Index (page 717) Merchants and Revolution details the transformation of English commerce in the century after 1550, examining in particular the activities of London's merchant community during the early Stuart period. In a major reinterpretation of long-term commercial change, Robert Brenner explains the factors behind the opening of long-distance commerce to the south and east, describing how the great City merchants wielded power to exploit emerging business opportunities, and profiles the new colonial traders, who became the chief architects of the Commonwealth's dynamic commercial policy.