Government Economic Policy in Pre-Industrial Europe

Government had an enormous impact on economic growth and development in pre-industrial Europe. Mostly, this was unintended - a side effect, for example, of government exaction or of the waging of war. However, governments did also intervene in their economies deliberately. These interventions can be grouped into a number of policies - the pursuit of legibility, a policy of provision, protectionism, bullionism, and mercantilism. This paper examines why governments pursued these policies, what form these policies took, and what were their effects on the economy