Antoine de Montchrétien

Antoine de Montchrétien or Montchrestien (* 1576 in Falaise ( Normandy ), † October 7, 1621 in Auxonne sur Loire ) was a French economist from the time of mercantilism . He was the first to publish a book entitled " Political Economy ". He has also written dramas.

Life

Montchrétien was the son of a pharmacist. He spent some time in the Netherlands , where he got to know the political and economic system there, which was far advanced for the time. In 1609 he returned to France to implement what he had learned. He opened a forge and a tool factory.

His Traité d'économie politique was published in 1615. The treatise was to Louis XIII. directed and contained practical advice, considerations and suggestions to increase the wealth of France. Montchrétien praised the trade and campaigned for an expansion of the markets with support from the state. Joseph A. Schumpeter judged the book in its history of economic analysis as mediocre and without originality; it contains sensible recommendations, but also elementary errors in reasoning that suggest that it is below the theoretical level of its time. The economist receives a more benevolent assessment in T. Funk-Brentano's introduction to the work edition of 1889 and in P. Lavaley's L'Œuvre économique de Antoine de Montchrétien (1903).

Influenced by his stay in Holland, Montchrétien sided with the Huguenots from 1610 , which ultimately cost him his reputation - he was accused several times of producing counterfeit money - and finally his life in 1621. He was slain by French troops in a Huguenot uprising against the king.

Treatise on economics

Montchrétien was a typical mercantilist and downright enthusiastic about the idea of increasing the nation's wealth with the help of a trade surplus achieved abroad . The accumulation of gold or luxury goods inspired him and was for him a sign of a modern state and economic efficiency.

Economics and the private sector

According to Montchrétien, both the state and individuals or families aim to accumulate wealth. The goal of the economy is to increase the wealth of the country as a whole. In this sense, economy is political. In order to guarantee the enrichment of the nation, the prince must be an enlightened sovereign interested in trade and not a despot .

Policies should aim to strengthen the market economy and enable individuals to pursue their personal interests. Nevertheless, the state must ensure that order is maintained, regulate trade, support the development of manufactories, and provide transport and communication channels. Above all, shipping, which he saw as the cheapest mode of transport, had to be supported by the state. The authorities as a whole must support the private sector so that individuals, and thereby indirectly their nation, can enrich themselves.

The state's population policy should aim to ensure that everyone has a job and can enrich themselves in this way. The state itself should set up workshops and offer them work in the public interest. It should also take on a function of social regulation and promote the labor market, but also peace within the country. By the latter, Montchrétien understands, among other things, an “optimal population”. The state should ensure that enough people are available to use the available resources optimally and not to leave any fields fallow. A population surplus could lead to impoverishment, which is why it should be used to conquer new territories. On the other hand, impoverished sections of the population are to be turned into valuable resources of the nation through vocational training. A selective immigration policy is intended to ensure that talented entrepreneurs and traders settle here.

Agriculture, Industry and Commerce

For Montchrétien, agriculture, industry and trade are intertwined. However, he assigned a key role to agriculture. For him, wealth begins in agriculture. Without industrial production, which processes agricultural products and without trade, which then sells these products at a profit, no wealth and thus no social development in the direction of an increased division of labor, which in turn enables the technical progress necessary for the development of the economy, would be possible.

Trade and gold

According to Montchrétin, human action is conditioned by the search for profit. Needs lead to demand, which in turn determines production. He saw gold and the gold trade as the center and ultimate goal of human - including economic - activity. That is why, for him, stable money, healthy public finances and a fair distribution of tax revenues were essential for a modern economy.

Nationalism and colonialism

Montchrétien presented France as a beautiful woman desired by everyone, who aroused envy and possessiveness. In his opinion, France was threatened by its neighbors, who have no other intention than to plunder its riches. Therefore the king has to react, wage war against his neighbors, conquer colonies and expand his territory.

literature

• Aristide Joly: Antoine de Montchrétien: poète et économiste normand . Caen 1865 ( online ).
• Carl Sporleder: About the "Escossoise" by Antoine de Montchrestien . Bagel, Düsseldorf 1893 ( digitized version ).

Web links

• Publications by and about Antoine de Montchrétien in VD 17 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The Little Encyclopedia. Encyclios-Verlag, Zurich 1950, vol. 2, p. 193.
2. ^ Joseph A. Schumpeter: History of economic analysis . Edited by Elizabeth B. Schumpeter. First volume, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1965, p. 225.