MERCANTILISM. - YouTube

It has been 100 years since the Porcelain  people adopted Theocracy within their society,  

but the time has come again  to switch to a new ideology.

The population reminisces on the past century,  where they’ve seen religion mature within their  

territory, begun trade with the elusive copper  fields people, and witnessed the rise of a tyrant.

The divine comment section has spoken,  

and the clergy delivers a new  system for their people to follow:

Mercantilism. After such a turbulent century,  

they anticipate what changes  their new ideology will bring.

Mercantilism is an economic system that involves  

the endless pursuit of maximising  exports and minimising imports.

This goes hand in hand with colonialism,  

as by taking primary goods from colonies  for a low price and refining them at home,  

you can sell these manufactured goods  back to the colonies for a profit.

The aversion to imports also means  that mercantilist societies are  

more withdrawn from foreign trade,  favouring colonisation instead..

Mercantilism saw itself incorporated into most  

European societies between  the 16th and 18th centuries,

- around the time that the Americas  and East Indies were being scooped up.

It should be noted that while historical  instances of mercantilism did rely on currency,  

the system functions the same without  it; also, mercantilism usually saw  

conjunction with other political systems  throughout that time, mainly imperialism -

but a hypothetical scenario of pure mercantilism  is possible through a ruling class of merchants;

...or would that be a plutocracy-

-back to the analysis!

The downsides of mercantilism mainly come from  how self centered it is, as the complete focus on  

internal trade is never good for outer relations. Along with this, the exploitation of colonies for  

the profit of the coloniser leads  to some animosity down the line.

It would then come as no surprise to find  that mercantilism historically began to die  

down as the colonies separated and the colonisers  found that foreign trade was just as profitable.

Nonetheless, the unique dynamics  created by Mercantilism should  

provide an interesting application within  the porcelain society. The timeline ensues.

As the porcelain people switch to Mercantilism,  the social order undergoes dramatic change once  

more: The merchants are given power, while the  clergy takes a backseat role within the society.

The newly empowered merchants  immediately encounter a dilemma:

- They find that to decrease imports will  require more resources on their behalf;  

a demand that cannot be met easily.

To fix this, they halt all trade  with the Copper fields people -

-and instead form a quarter of  their population into colonial  

parties and scatter them out to find new lands.

To prevent these pioneers from  forming independent nations,  

the merchants establish a messenger system  between the colonies and the capital

Along with sending out some of their  own to preside over these new colonies.

These moves prove a success, and not long after,  

three new colonies have been settled, and  the porcelain territory has tripled in size.

Resource-wise, the new colonies  bring nothing new to the table,  

save for the northernmost colony, which brings  news of an ocean far beyond the hill ranges.

This is of little interest to the merchants,  

as the population is too underdeveloped  and scarce to make any seafaring efforts,

and besides, the only goods worth trading over  long distances are building materials and grain,  

not perishables like fish!

As the territory once again settles into routine,  the copper fields people look on in contempt.  

These porcelain people have once again left them  out to dry because of their silly traditions.

They do not worry. They have wheat after  all, and if they are never to trade with  

the porcelain people again, they may  as well make colonies of their own…

Years turn into decades, and the colonies  are turning a profit while the capital  

becomes something of a manufacturing  powerhouse. Every day, bushels of  

wheat and tonnes of clay are turned into bread  and bricks to be carted out to the colonies,  

while the citizens in the capital  experience a bounty of resources.

Along the borders, the administrators keep  a tally of resource lines on mud tablets.

With all the different quantities, resource  types and destinations to note down, the  

administrators have begun using a picture-based  shorthand that saves on both time and clay.

This proves quite handy for condensing a hefty  trade report, sending resource requests over  

long distances, and for creating records. This  invention of writing, while groundbreaking, will  

remain untapped for the rest of the century, being  a phenomenon exclusive to the administrators.

As mentioned previously, the  distance between colonies has  

only further increased the popularity of  wheat, and in areas with a high surplus,  

specifically the capitol, it finds itself  stored in dedicated granaries until it can  

be manufactured. But all this wheat in  one place has attracted unwanted guests:

Mice, from the outer plains. Endless in numbers,  and constantly chewing away at the grain supply.  

Although with these new arrivals  come their predators as well:

Cats, who also begin to take  residence around the granaries.

As long as they’re keeping mice numbers low,  

the porcelain people are more than happy  to accept these whiskered visitors.

Colonial life continues as normal as  the decades pass, and wheat remains  

the good of choice, with little variation  in the lives of laborers between colonies.

The seaside colony, wanting a  higher standing in the territory,  

decide to use their geography to their  advantage, and along with their wheat quota,

begin sending baskets of  seashells towards the capital.

The appeal of these shiny objects  makes quite a stir in the capital,  

as citizens barter goods for them; and  whoever has more shells, gets more goods.

This new currency system gives the porcelain  people a reliable way to measure wealth,  

and opens up a number of societal sectors,  as citizens with specialised jobs no longer  

have to rely on rations or barter to survive. With this economic revolution in motion, picking  

seashells off the beach becomes a full-time  job, and the seaside colony becomes wealthy.

The colonial experience, however, is not  as enjoyable for the other two colonies,  

who due to less than favourable geography, cannot  always meet the resource quotas of the capital,

- and experience poverty as a result. That  

and the corruption of their merchant  governors have left a bitter taste,  

and word spreads amongst the labourers of  a possible separation in the near future.

Under mercantilism, the porcelain people have  experienced many advancements in territory,  

technology, and in resources.

And while issues have begun brewing in the  outer colonies, the ruling merchants know  

they will have to wait for now. The century has  come to a close, and the age-old ritual begins.

The clergy return to the temple,  

joining hands and making offerings as they  access the realm of the YouTube comment section.

There, the brightest minds can suggest an  ideology for the porcelain people to follow,  

and the one bearing the most likes  shall be used for the next 100 years.

So what ideology should the  porcelain people follow?

You decide.