«Государство – это я»...These words belong to one of the most famous European monarchs, Louis XIV. They quite accurately determine the period of his rule, which is characterized by the highest flowering of absolutism in France.
general information
Louis XIV carefully delved into all the details.government and firmly enough held in his hands all the levers of power. Whatever his entourage suggested, always the last decisive word remained with the monarch. Nevertheless, there was one man, without whose opinion the French king never made important decisions. It was his finance minister, Jean Baptiste Colbert. A brief biography of this statesman, his political and economic views, as well as the main works are presented in this article.
At the beginning of his public service, he was consideredprotege of Giulio Mazarin - Italian prelate, who called him his confidant. The young king Louis XIV appointed Colbert as court intendant of finance. It must be said that in this post he distinguished himself both by his hard work and the introduction of numerous reforms.
Colbert Jean Baptiste: Biography
This famous statesman was born.Twenty-sixth of August 1619 in France. His childhood and adolescence were spent in the northeast of the country in the city-commune of Reims. Jean Baptiste Colbert grew up in a fairly wealthy family. His father - a wealthy merchant, owned numerous trade rows. At the age of thirty, Colbert was already a financial quartermaster, and eleven years later he became the receiver of Fuke himself. His career developed rapidly. In 1669, Jean Baptiste Colbert was already Minister of State. He was able to combine this high position with the duties of the main quartermaster of all royal buildings, factories and fine arts. The working day of this statesman lasted more than fifteen hours. Jean Baptiste Colbert, whose economic views later formed the basis of his numerous works, always thoroughly understood all the problems and carefully studied the situation that had arisen.
Activities
Being a supporter of the policy of mercantilism, thisHusband promoted the development of trade, national fleet and industry. It was Jean Baptiste Colbert who laid the economic prerequisites for the further formation of France as a colonial empire.
He was a very stubborn and cruel person.Colbert always tried to expose dishonest officials, as well as those who avoided paying taxes. The criminals were subject to incredible fines, and sometimes they were even punished with the death penalty. And although Colbert did not have any obvious hobbies, he nevertheless had a rather broad outlook. Accustomed to setting high goals for himself, this figure was at the same time stubborn, stern to cruelty and completely imbued with the political and economic worldviews of the time.
Он в первую очередь обращал внимание на любые abuses in financial matters. The special court chamber created by him investigated these cases and dealt with the guilty very strictly, without the slightest condescension. Tax collectors, fiscal officials, etc., were subject to enormous fines. In 1662 and 1663, about seventy million livres were selected from some financiers. When the chamber was dissolved in 1669, it had already managed to deliver to the treasury one hundred and ten million livres confiscated from more than five hundred people.
Financial policy
Cruelty possessed by Jean Baptiste Colbert(1619-1683), to a certain extent, was balanced by a reduction in the direct tax, which lay on the lower class of the population. His other achievement was the reduction of the public debt of France. Some loans taken by the country simply stopped being paid on the pretext that the monarch was deceived when they were received. At the same time, by his order, many state lands, which were sold or given away centuries ago, were forcibly returned back. They were simply purchased at the purchase price, not paying attention to the changed value of money.
Jean Baptiste Colbert: Major Works
In the development of economic thought in Europe withsixteenth to eighteenth century primacy held mercantilism. This teaching was based on the idea that wealth consists only in the possession and accumulation of monetary resources. The adherents of this theory believed that the more gold would “come” into the treasury of the state and the less “leave”, the richer it would be. One of the most prominent representatives of this teaching in France was Jean Baptiste Colbert. Mercantilism later even renamed in his honor.
The main merit of the adherents of this doctrine isEuropean thinkers - was the fact that it was they who made the first attempt to understand general economic problems from the point of view of the interests of the national economy. In Germany, these ideas existed until the beginning of the nineteenth century, receiving the form of so-called camelistics. French mercantilism had its own characteristics. It was in the epoch of Colbert that a completely new direction appeared - physiocracy. Its representatives considered only that which is produced in agriculture as the main resource. Colbert believed that free trade is not relevant, since goods are produced only for the domestic market, and this in turn keeps the state’s economic development. Descendants of this figure did not leave any more or less fundamental work. Nevertheless, the history of economic thought separately notes its effective policy. Colbert Jean Baptiste, whose works were mainly aimed at reducing imports, was striving to strengthen the central government. I must say that he succeeded.
Colbertism
Jean Baptiste Colbert was an ardent supportermercantilism and a major French politician of the seventeenth century. The policy pursued by him was even called in his honor "Kolbertism". The Minister of Finance under the monarch Louis XIV with might and main strengthened the central authority. To this end, he handed over the local administrative authority to the commissaries - state officials, while at the same time the rights of regional parliaments were significantly reduced. Colbertism penetrated the country's cultural policy. During the reign of Colbert the Academy of Sciences, the Small Academy of Inscriptions and Literature, Construction, etc. were founded.
Reformist ideas
Relieve the duties of the poor at the expense of the rich -it was precisely this rule that Jean Baptiste Colbert always adhered to. The main ideas of this financier in this field were to impose indirect taxes that would be payable by all citizens of the country, since at that time direct taxation applied only to the unprivileged.
In 1664, Colbert achieved the abolition of domesticcustoms between the southern and northern provinces. His other idea was the active planting of manufactories. He advocated inviting foreign craftsmen to work in the country, issuing state loans to industrialists in need of them, as well as providing all sorts of benefits to citizens, for example, exemption from recruitment or the right to any religion.
Encourage colonization
Under Colbert, maritime trade began to flourish,which was completely insignificant to him. The harbors were improved, and even a bonus was awarded for the construction of new ships. Foreign ships at the entrance and exit of the French harbors paid a fee.
Colbert's other important idea was to encouragecolonization. In his opinion, only foreign trade could provide an abundance of French nationals, giving satisfaction to the sovereigns. He said that “trade is a constant war,” and the amount of money money will determine the power and size of the state. The colonization of Madagascar was his main idea. At the same time he founded other directions for the north. And although the illiterate leadership of the metropolis led to the failure of many of these undertakings, by the end of Colbert's career, France owned, if not the most flourishing, then precisely the most extensive territories of the European colonies.
Improving communications
Кольбер для своей страны сделал чрезвычайно много new. It was under him that the construction of the huge Languedoc Canal was completed. Every year, about 650 thousand livres were allocated from the treasury for the maintenance and creation of new roads. Their excellent condition, according to Colbert, was one of the most powerful means for the full centralization of the state.
Errors
The growth of industry at that time was at the expense ofagriculture. Namely, Jean Baptiste Colbert considered it as a source for state financial resources. The main drawback in the policy of the Minister of Finance was that she still left intact the feudal type of relations, and in fact they strongly constrained any economic and social development of France. It is quite possible that Colbert's efforts would have been crowned with great success, but the monarchian government confronted him with one main task: at any cost to squeeze money for the wars that King Louis XIV led without end, and also for the needs of his court.
Discontent
Tyranny and pedantic regulationgovernments in all matters strongly hardened the French against Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Mass pamphlets were even printed against him in Holland, but they were unable to prevent the direction of his policy. Acting on behalf of the monarch, Colbert, even despite his non-aristocratic background, could easily resist the nobility where it was needed. The Minister of Finance also constantly fought with the clergy for the rights of the state. And although he tried in vain to reduce the number of the clergy, he managed to reduce the number of important church holidays.
Last years
Due to financial stabilization beganspike in business activity. Over the years 1664-1668 The lion's share of manufactories was founded. But the war that soon began with Holland, which later grew into a com- munication with the European coalition, led the French trade companies to hard trials. She put an end to the Kolber program. The quartermaster in finance himself after that lived another eleven years. However, this was no longer the reformer, confident in his plans and influence on the sovereign. Colbert, tired and tormented by disease, was engaged in the routine and ungrateful extraction of money for military spending. He died on the sixth of September, 1683. The devastating wars were destroyed by his long-standing work. Colbert at the end of his life was convinced of the incompatibility of his economic line and of Louis’s foreign policy. When he, completely broken by failure, passed away, the people answered him for all their trials. Brutal heavy taxes, the French attacked the funeral procession. The guards from the military even had to defend the coffin of Colbert from popular anger.
