特许公司——西方推行“重商政策”的急先锋

Chartered Companies:The Vanguard of Western Countries Practicing “Mercantile Policy”

本文从特许公司产生的历史背景、渊源和特征,特许公司在西方国家推行“重商政策”中的先锋作用以及它们与西方资本主义组织形式演变的关系等三个方面,揭示特许公司在15—18世纪西欧社会转型中的历史地位。在着重考察商业冒险家公司、莫斯科公司、利凡特公司和英国东印度公司的内在联系的基础上指出:英国向东印度的扩张是英国商业冒险家所做出的最持久也最系统的努力,集中反映了那个时代英国甚至整个西欧商业冒险家的商业精神和开拓精神。文章认为,英国人走向世界的过程,除了财富观念和财富积累方式的改变,并不断使自己的经营和经济组织形式适应变化着的经济活动之外,主要依靠的就是这种商业的和开拓的精神。

By analyzing the historical background, origins and characteristics of “the chartered companies”, and their roles in the western countries practicing “mercantile policy” and their relationship with the evolution of capitalist form, this paper tries to bring to light the place of “the chartered companies” in the social transformation of Western Europe from the 15th century to the 18th century. This paper argues that the expansion of England to East India is the most enduring and systematic endeavor made by English merchant adventurers, and reflects the commercial and pioneer spirit of English even Western European merchant adventurers of that time. The process of the English moving towards the world mainly depends on this spirit.