Brief Notes on Mercantilism Theory of International Trade
Mercantilism, the first theory of international trade emerged in England in the middle of 16th century, formed the backbone of economic thought from 1500-1800 AD. The basic premise or philosophy of this theory is that a country would be stronger if its exports exceeded imports. In the process, the country would accumulate gold and silver, the basis of power and wealth.Consistent with this philosophy, government subsidised exports and put barriers to imports. The mercantilists were interested in a surplus in balance of trade, than maximisation of trade. Some colonialist countries used their colonies to support this objective.Colonies were used as source of raw materials and markets for finished products. The industrial structure of colonies was broken so that markets for export goods can be there. This kind of exploitation was…