Eighteenth-century Scottish Political Economy and the Decline of Imperial Spain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12899278 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Frederick G Whelan (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 55-72 |
| Publication date | 2018-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Scottish Historical Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-538X • E-ISSN: 1755-1749 |
| Publisher | Edinburgh University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.3366/jshs.2018.0233 |
| OpenAlex | W2806139894 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
This article examines the causes of the decline of imperial Spain as set forth in the works of Hume, Smith, Robertson, and other eighteenth-century writers, primarily Scottish. As in the classic case of the decline of the ancient Roman republic and empire, moral causes related to Spain's national character and its distortion under the impact of imperial wealth were sometimes adduced. Nevertheless, the famous Roman precedent proved inapplicable, for the most part, to modern experience. There was a decisive shift, in the case of Spain. Arguments drawn from Scottish political economy focused on the self-defeating character of the Spanish quest for precious metals and its related bullionist and mercantilist policies. The Spanish case also contributed significantly to the economic critique of imperialism and highly regulated imperial economies as an aspect of the general rejection of mercantilism
Ancient history · Character (mathematics · Economic history · Economics · Economy · Empire · Mercantilism · Political science · Politics · Roman Empire · History · Law · Scottish History and National Identity
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |