Colbertist Mercantilist System

Timeline

1. 1661–1664Paris · Île-de-FranceIn 1661 Colbert took over as superintendent of French finances, later rising to finance minister. He reformed the tax system, investigated treasury deficits, and began systematically laying out a mercantilist policy framework, establishing the administrative basis for royal manufactures and tariff legislation.
2. 1664–1670France · FranceThe 1664 tariff edict sharply raised duties on imported manufactured goods to support domestic manufacturing; state-run manufactures such as the Royal Gobelins tapestry works and the Sèvres porcelain factory were established in succession; the East India Company and West India Company were reorganized to conduct monopolistic colonial trade.
3. 1671–1683France · FranceThe 1673 Commercial Ordinance regulated commercial contracts and bankruptcy; the French navy rose to the forefront of Europe; imports of colonial raw materials and exports of finished goods became complementary, and France's trade surplus expanded markedly. Colbert died in 1683, marking the end of the system's zenith.