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According to Wikipedia “Mercantilism is a nationalist economic policy that is designed to maximize the exports and minimize the imports for an economy. In other words, it seeks to maximize the accumulation of resources within the country and use those resources for one-sided trade. It promotes imperialism, colonialism, protectionism, currency manipulation, and tariffs and subsidies on traded goods to achieve that goal.”

The War of the Spanish Succession started when King Charles II of Spain died childless. In his will he left his throne to Philip, Duke of Anjou, grandson of King Louis XIV of France. England, Holland, Prussia and Austria thought that this would jeopardize the balance of power in Europe.  A war broke out and Philip still sat on the throne when it ended. 

According to Wikipedia, “The Edict of Nantes was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity.”

Who should have the authority to set prices, the free market or the state? Why? according to the Dictionary, the free market is “an economic system in which prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses.” The state is “a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government.” 

The prices of products are determined by supply and demand, buyers against buyers, sellers against sellers. Sellers compete against each other to have better prices and products. Buyers compete against each other to get the better products and prices. However important an object determines its price. 

Who should have the authority to set prices, the free market or the state? I believe that the free market should have the authority to set prices. The free market should choose the prices because they’re the ones selling the products. If the state controlled the prices of things, then all stores would have to sell the same thing for the same price. After a while the could cause the economy to fall apart. If people create they’re own prices then that will create competition. Without competition the businesses won’t have any reason to improve even though they should. This causes the economy to more likely become worse than better. So far the free market is doing well without state prices, but they still have government regulations. Some do not, but most do. 

What were Cardinal Richelieu’s primary aims? According to Wikipedia “Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu , known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French statesman and clergyman. He became known as l’Éminence rouge, or “the Red Eminence“, a term derived from the title “Eminence” applied to cardinals and from the red robes that they customarily wear.” He had two goals Centralize the power in France, and opposition to the Habsburg dynasty.

What factors contributed to the decline of Spain? Some of these things were much of the economic activity was controlled by monopolies and state favoritism, expensive warfare, and revolts. 

What is constitutionalism? According to Wikipedia, “Constitutionalism is ‘a compound of ideas, attitudes, and patterns of behavior elaborating the principle that the authority of government derives from and is limited by a body of fundamental law’.”

What do you think Hobbes’ main arguments are in the excerpts you read from his Leviathan? According to StudyMode Research, “The central thesis of Leviathan is the idea that in order for human society to function without widespread conflict there is a need for totalitarian rule in the form of a Leviathan, necessitated by man’s continual state of fear in a state of nature caused by limited knowledge of the outside world and therefore the intentions of other humans.”

Why has this theme remained popular since 1587? This theme is selling your soul to the devil. The basis of this story is a man that grew up in a Christian family makes a deal with the devil giving him special powers. According to Wikipedia, “Doctor Faustus (play) The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, commonly referred to simply as Doctor Faustus, is an Elizabethan tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, based on German stories about the title character Faust. It was probably written in 1592 or 1593, shortly before Marlowe’s death.”

According to Faust.com “Using Mephistophilis as a messenger, Faustus strikes a deal with Lucifer: that he is to be allotted twenty-four years of life on Earth, during which time he will have Mephistophilis as his personal servant, and, at the end of which, he will give his soul over to Lucifer as payment and spend the rest of time as one of the damned in hell. This deal is supposed to be cemented in the form of Faustus’ own blood. Interestingly, at first his blood congeals, leading to second thoughts by Faustus. Mephistophilis brings coals to break the wound open again, and thus Mephistophilis begins his servitude and Faustus his oath.” For twenty-four years Faustus does evil things and at the end of these years Nobody had seen Faustus for a while so they looked for him in his house and found blood and body parts scattered across a room. 

Why has this theme remained popular since 1587? People like horror and selling your soul to the devil defiantly sounds like something that people would want to watch. 

According to Wikipedia “A subsidy or government incentive is a type of government expenditure targeted towards individuals and households, as well as businesses with the aim of stabilising the economy. It ensures that individuals and households are viable by having access to essential goods and services while giving businesses the opportunity to stay afloat and/or competitive. Subsidies not only promote long term economic stability but also help governments to respond to economic shocks during a recession or in response to unforeseen shocks such as COVID-19.” So a subsidy is when the government gives money to the people to stop a problem. 

According to GEMET, state control is “The power or authority of a government to regulate or command industry, organizations, programs, initiatives and individuals.” According to Wikipedia, “State media or government media are media outlets that are under financial and/or editorial control of the state or government, directly or indirectly. There are different types of state and government media. State-controlled or state-run media are under editorial control or influence by the state or government.” State control is basically when the government tries to control everything that happens. According to Collins Dictionary, state control literally means “control by the government”.

Is it possible to have state subsidies without state control? No. In order for the government to give “free money” to people they have to take money from other people, and since nobody wants to have money taken from them the government forces then too. The government isn’t taking money from specific people though. They do it do everyone through something we all know as taxes. So overall the government is trying to control you and to do it they take your money.

What was English life like under Oliver Cromwell? According to Wikipedia “Oliver Cromwell was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the British Isles.” Oliver Cromwell was a very strict person. All his laws were strict and he even banned Christmas once. In 1658 He died. A couple years later they dug up his body, put it on trial, and executed it. 

What was the Glorious Revolution? The Glorious Revolution began when King James II was replaced with his daughter Mary and her husband William of orange. Why is the Glorious Revolution significant in English history? According to History, “Many historians believe the Glorious Revolution was one of the most important events leading to Britain’s transformation from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. After this event, the monarchy in England would never hold absolute power again.”

On what grounds does Locke believe people can establish a claim to property ownership over a previously unowned good? According to Libertarianism, “…Locke held that individuals could come to acquire property rights in previously unowned goods by ‘mixing their labour’ with it, ‘for this labour being the unquestionable property of the labourer, no man but he can have a right to what that is once joined to’”

Now that I have finished the section Montaigne, would I read any more of his essays? Why or why not? According to Wikipedia, “Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne, also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes and autobiography with intellectual insight.” In his life he wrote several essays. According to Wikipedia, “The Essays of Michel de Montaigne are contained in three books and 107 chapters of varying length. They were originally written in Middle French and were originally published in the Kingdom of France. Montaigne’s stated design in writing, publishing and revising the Essays over the period from approximately 1570 to 1592 was to record ‘some traits of my character and of my humors.’ The Essays were first published in 1580 and cover a wide range of topics.” According to Wikipedia, “Montaigne wrote in a rather crafted rhetoric designed to intrigue and involve the reader, sometimes appearing to move in a stream-of-thought from topic to topic and at other times employing a structured style that gives more emphasis to the didactic nature of his work.” According to Britannica, “Montaigne’s Essays thus incorporate a profound skepticism concerning the human being’s dangerously inflated claims to knowledge and certainty but also assert that there is no greater achievement than the ability to accept one’s being without either contempt or illusion, in the full realization of its limitations and its richness.”

Would I read any more of his essays? Why or why not? No I would not. I did not understand any of them. They were confusing and boring. If I found an interessting one then maybe, but otherwise no. 

What was the English Civil War all about? According to Wikipedia, “The English Civil War was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists led by Charles I, mainly over the manner of England’s governance and issues of religious freedom.” Soon enough the Parliamentarians won the war and executed Charles I. Eleven years later Charles I”s son Charles II Claimed the throne. 

Who were the Levellers, and what did they believe? According to Wikipedia, “The Levellers were a political movement active during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance.” 

What was the key issue that led to the outbreak of the Thirty Years’ War? It started when Emperor Ferdinand II Tried to force the Protestants into Catholicism, but they rebelled causing the Thirty Year’s war. What religious accommodation was reached by Catholics and Protestants in the Peace of Westphalia? This meant that the two religions were equal and the princes were allowed to choose any religion for their territory. 

If the state is strong enough to do something good for you, it can also do something bad to you. There are many good laws that keep people safe, but there are still a lot of bad laws. The state hurts people a lot by something called inflation. According to Wikipedia “In economics, inflation is a general increase of the prices. This is usually measured using the consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money.” The Federal Reserve prints millions of dollars each year. And when more money is made the price of it goes down. There are three ways that inflation can hurt. 1# The price of products go up, but their value goes down. 2# The price of products go up, but the value of your money goes down. 3# The value of the product and your money go down, but the price is the same. The government makes themselves richer while making everyone else poorer. A lot of people don’t even know what’s happening. Our society is failing because of inflation. 

(1) What were the causes and consequences of the Spanish revolt that occurred after Charles left to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor? After Charles was crowned King of Spain, he left Spain to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor, but while he was gone there was a revolt in Spain. The people who revolted made a new ruler, Queen Joanna, Charles own mother. Around a year later the Comuneros were defeated at the battle of Villalar ending the revolt. 

(2) What were the causes of the Dutch revolt? What was the “demonstration effect”? According to The Memory, “The Dutch Revolt or Eighty Years’ War was a series of battles fought in the Netherlands between 1568 and 1648 which began when part of the Habsburg Empire resisted the, in their eyes, unjust rule of the Spanish King Philip II.” The “demonstration effect” is when people saw what other nations do, and try to implicate that into their own nation.

(3) Who were the contenting parties in the French wars of religion? What was the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre? What was the Edict of Nantes? According to Lumen, “The French Wars of Religion (1562–98) is the name of a period of fighting between French Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots).” The Catholics didn’t like the Huguenots so they tried to get them to convert to Catholicism or to die. Eventually the Catholics asked the king if they could kill a bunch of Huguenots and the king agreed. This killing was called the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Eventually, the Edict of Nantes was signed, ending the dispute between Catholics and Protestants.

(4) Describe the religious policy of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth never had a permanent religion. At some points she just had none and other point where nobody was sure.