Merchant capitalists
Definition
Individuals who used their wealth to invest in trade and goods for profit. They played a significant role during the Commercial Revolution.
Analogy
Think of them as the investors on Shark Tank. They use their money to fund promising businesses (or expeditions) in hopes of making more money back.
Related terms
Bourgeoisie: This term refers to the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes. In our Shark Tank analogy, these would be the entrepreneurs pitching their ideas.
Usury: The illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest. It's like loaning a friend $5 and demanding they pay back $20 - unfair!
Guilds: These were associations of artisans or merchants who controlled the practice of their craft in a particular town. If our Shark Tank investors decided to only fund bakeries, they'd form something similar to a bakers' guild.
"Merchant capitalists" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (1)
Are you a college student?
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
Resources
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.