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Snezka Panova
Integration of the Bulgarian Merchants in International Trade
During the 18th Century
Summary
The Bulgarian merchants’ integration in international
trade was part of the overall process of Europeanisation of the
Ottoman Empire. The beginning was laid as soon as the Empire was
included in the sphere of influence and impact of the stipulations of
international law. This was practically accomplished by the conclusion
of contracts - the so-called “capitulations” of the Western
countries - with the High Porte. By virtue of these contracts, the
peoples within the frameworks of the Empire were logically objects of
that influence, too, with all the positive and negative consequences
thereof.
One of the earliest rules of the contracts concluded in
this manner concerned the regulation of trade interrelations of the
western countries with the Empire. Its markets were mostly the source
of raw materials: foods, mostly grain, hides - raw and processed,
wool, wax, cotton, smaller quantities of silk, cotton and woolen yarn.
However, according to the rule of the mercantilistic policy, those
same markets were not sufficient consumers of the western countries’
manufactured goods. That was the reason why, from the end of the 16th
century, with the trend intensifying particularly during the 18th
century, they maintained their trade balance by way of the import of
coins, specially minted for the purpose.
The Bulgarian merchants became precisely part of the
practical realization of the above-mentioned international
contract-capitulations from the early 17th century and - very actively
- during the 18th century. They became successfully integrated
applying all requirements of trade law of that time. As a result they
gained good positions on the international markets and particularly on
the markets of Transylvania, Wallachia and Moldova, of Hungary and
Austria, of Hamburg and the fairs in Leipzig. Or, quite some time
before Bulgarian society had established contacts with the European
values in terms of ideas, and, particularly, the ideas of the
Enlightenment, it experienced the influence of the European system of
rules and regulations. As a result of this, the tradesmen and the
commercial capital were established in the same way as in the western
society. Those tradesmen and commercial capital had the assignment to
take over the new organization of society and of production. But the
Bulgarian merchants outstripped their time, since within the Ottoman
economic system there was no opportunity for a back link between
capital and its application.
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