SOSC 1740 Chapter Notes - Chapter chapter 14: Wall, Urban Density, Capital Accumulation
13 Jul 2017
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Even before political centralization, in its most absolute form, had found expression in the baroque plan, the center of gravity had subtly begun to shift to a new constellation of economic forces. The state policy called mercantilism, which sought to transfer to the crown"s centralized direction the protectionism and monopolistic control of the medieval town, proved only to be a transitional dodge. For the new forces favored expansion and dispersal in every direction, from overseas colonization to the build- ing up of new industries, whose technological improvements simply can- celled out all medieval restrictions. The demolition of their urban walls was both practical and symbolic. The institution that represented these new forces bears the classic name of "capitalism," and i deliberately resist the current american fash- ion of giving it a fresh name free from its many unpleasant historic asso- ciations. By the seventeenth century, capitalism had altered the whole balance of power.
