Early Debates about Industry
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Early Debates about Industry Voltaire and His Contemporaries Florian Schui
Florian Schui 2005 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2005 ISBN 978-1-4039-4799-4 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2005 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-52496-9 DOI 10.1057/9780230513334 ISBN 978-0-230-51333-4 (ebook) This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Schui, Florian, 1973 Early debates about industry : Voltaire and his contemporaries / Florian Schui. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1 4039 4799 6 (cloth) 1. Industries France Philosophy. 2. Industrialization Philosophy. 3. Industrialization Europe History 18th century. 4. Voltaire, 1694 1778 Political and social views. I. Title. HC275.S366 2005 338.94 009 033 dc22 2005049294 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
For my parents
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Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction 1 The enlightenment 2 The rise of industry 4 The development of the concept of industry 7 Eavesdropping on Voltaire and his contemporaries 13 1 Industry in Voltaire s Time 18 Industrial growth in eighteenth-century France 20 The principal branches of industry: textiles and iron 20 The French concentration on high quality products 22 No mechanisation of labour 23 State and industry in France 24 Intellectual context: the term industry up to the 1750s 26 The use of the term industry 28 The transformation of the 1750s 30 2 Voltaire, Prussia and Industry 35 Voltaire s departure from Paris 35 The journey through industry-less Westphalia 40 Industry in Westphalia 42 The arrival in Berlin: The fairy-land 46 The highlight of Voltaire s first weeks in Berlin: a carrouzel 48 Frederick s thought on art and industry 51 Modern perspectives on Prussian industry under Frederick II 53 Merchant industry in Prussia: the new Asiatic trade company 55 A new industry in Prussia: the silk manufactures 71 3 A European Debate about Colbert 79 The concept of industry in the debate about Colbert 81 Voltaire s defence of Colbert during the stay in Prussia 84 Voltaire s response to Boisguilbert 85 Nothing could be more wrong 87 French and Prussian anecdotes about administrators and merchants 89 Two different keys to industry 93 vii
viii Contents Self-love and the branches of industry 96 Enter La Beaumelle 100 La Beaumelle between Voltaire and Montesquieu 101 Frederick, Voltaire and La Beaumelle s edition of the Age of Louis XIV 103 4 How Much Industry Does a Nation Need? 112 Saint-Pierre s critique of the reign of Louis XIV 114 Half fool and half philosopher : ambiguous perceptions of Saint-Pierre 115 Voltaire s response to the Political Annals 117 Saint-Pierre s political economy argument 118 Saint-Pierre s moral argument 121 A revolt against Fenélon s frugality 124 Physiocratic industry and Voltairean industry 127 Industry: source or consumer of riches 128 Pro and contra laissez-faire in industry 131 A minister of the last century : industry, war and peace 132 The debate about the Compagnie des Indes 136 Voltaire and the Hercule 139 Jacques Necker s defence of Colbert 142 5 A Political Campaign for Industry 148 The essay competition of the Société Œconomique in Petersburg 150 Voltaire s essay: serfdom as an institutional obstacle to industry 153 The social implications of the rise of industry 155 Voltaire s campaign against serfdom in France 157 The campaign against serfdom under the ministry of Turgot 161 Industry will be harmed even more 164 Vexatious feudal privileges 166 The progress of industry: a common concern of Turgot and Voltaire 168 The campaign against serfdom after the fall of Turgot 171 Conclusion 174 Notes 187 Bibliography 224 Index 235
Acknowledgements My interest in the subject of this book dates back to a seminar paper which I wrote in a class on the history of economic thought of the late Professor Robert Heilbroner at the New School for Social Research. I am indebted to Professor Heilbroner for inspiring my interest in the history of eighteenth-century economic thought. The book in its current form is based on my doctoral dissertation which I completed at St Edmund s College, University of Cambridge, in 2004. The manuscript was written during the first year of my postdoctoral Junior Research Fellowship at St Edmund s College. I am grateful for the support from the college and from Hans-Böckler Foundation. During the work on the dissertation, I have received advice and encouragement from many sides. In particular I would like to thank my supervisor Ms Emma Rothschild for reading the long drafts of the dissertation. I am indebted to her for her insightful comments and her support. I also owe a great deal to the discussion with my examiners Professor Colin Jones and Professor Gareth Stedman Jones. Their comments on the dissertation were crucial for the preparation of the manuscript. Among those who have read and commented on the dissertation or parts of it, I am particularly grateful to Jennifer Fronc, Sunil Amrith, William O Reilly, Gabriel Paquette, Gemma Simmonds and David Todd. I would also like to thank Professor Stephen Frowen for his support and Nikolay Belkov, who translated a Russian article for me. I am grateful to Amanda Hamilton, Economics Publisher at Palgrave-Macmillan for commissioning this book and supporting me throughout the production process. I also am indebted to Katie Button and everybody at Palgrave Macmillan who was involved with the production of the book for their support and advice. During the archival research the support of Dr Ingeborg Schelling- Reinicke and her colleagues at Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin-Dahlem was invaluable. The staff of Leibniz Archiv in Hannover and Musée et Institut Voltaire in Geneva have also helped me greatly in my research. I would like to thank the director of Leibniz Archiv, Prof. Dr Herbert Berger, and the Curator of the Musée et Institut Voltaire, Charles Wirz, for their kind support. I am indebted to the staff at the following libraries and archives: National Archives, Kew, New York Public Library, University Library, Cambridge and ix
x Acknowledgements Staatsbibliothek, Berlin. The cover image is used by kind permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library. I would also like to express my gratitude to Inga Huld Markan and her colleagues at the Centre for History and Economics, King s College, for their friendliness and their help. The Hans-Böckler Foundation, Düsseldorf, has provided me with generous financial support throughout my PhD. I am grateful for the commitment of Prof. Dr Dietmar Petzina, who has followed my work on behalf of the Foundation. I am equally thankful for grants from the Cambridge European Trust, St Edmund s College and the Centre for History and Economics. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their unfailing support. And last but certainly not least: thank you, Rita, for being wonderful and for supporting my work.