According to DeJean, Louis XIV dedicated his reign to making France the pre-eminent economic power in 17th century Europe. One by one he targeted the trades that interested him and gave gifted people the power to make improvements happen. The king took a personal interest in these projects and rewarded people who delivered the goods with knighthood. He demanded results. He said in effect, "Do what you have to do to win. I'll back you up 100%."
The king was not above bribing skilled foreigners to leave their guilds and take up residence in France. He even had one of them kidnapped! Other nations didn't like to lose their skilled workers and would threaten to imprison or even kill these workers if they tried to leave. Undeterred, Louis sent gangs of soldiers dressed as civilians to smuggle these workers out. Once in France they were showered with money and privileges. Some of them were invited to live in the palace and were given titles.
Louis didn't stand idly by while all this happened. He was full of innovative ideas himself. He invented shopping and he lit up Paris with candles and oil lamps at night to prolong shopping hours and stimulate night life in cafes and theaters. When parts of Paris dragged their feet and were slow to rebuild to attract visitors, he set up tent cities where merchants could sell. The guy was a powerhouse of energy!
My favorite story in the book is one where Louis claimed at court that French shoemakers were the best in the world, so good that they could make seamless leather boots. He said he was wearing a pair that very moment. Of course, he was king, and no one had the nerve to ask for proof. All over Europe the foreign shoemakers instantly suffered a lowering of status since none of them knew how to make seamless boots. He'd used the same kind of tricks to promote French agriculture. He even convinced people to pay big prices for champagne, which was formerly considered an inferior wine, plagued with excessive gasification.
If I could afford it, I'd send everyone in Congress a copy of this book.
11 comments:
So, Louis XIV was the cool kid in the schoolyard that everyone wanted to be like.
It's the same today. There are innovators or "first adopters" who glom onto new technology (fashion as well) and trail-blaze for the masses.
Cool lesson, Eddie! Sounds like a good book.
Eddie
get me Louis the XIV's patronage for Christmas. Think he would like cartoons?
You make a good argument for federal intervention in the economy.
Seriously, though, it's going on my amazon wish list.
You make a good argument for federal intervention in the economy.
Seriously, though, it's going on my amazon wish list.
My favorite Louis XIV story: a charming tradition has it that when his finance minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, asked what he could do to help French industry, a certain M. Legendre replied: "Laissez-nous faire!" Ie., "Leave us alone!" Hence the expression, laissez-faire
I think a country like Japan is really keen to this sort of stuff. They really support arts and culture a lot, especially animation. And look at what an impact it's had! Many people go to Japan just because of the animation!
This is on an old thread, but today I got Eddie's favorite Christmas album ("The Christmas Album," Columbia Masterworks), and I just wanted to tell people that it is GREAT!! Of all its treasures, one of the best is the three acoustic (ie., before approx. 1926) recordings from Europe at the end of the album. Unless you are some kind of musicologist, they are like nothing you have heard anywhere else. What a window on a lost world! Everyone who loves Christmas music should buy, borrow, or steal this CD!
Lester: So that's where Laizze Faire" comes from! Glad you liked the album!
John: Glad you like it! You're on the list!
I'll be sure to try and get a hold of that book, it sounds interesting.
Plus, I have been meaning to become more involved in my own country's politics, and politics worldwide.
Sorry, Eddie I doubled up again. I'll stop posting from the office.
Pappy: Don't worry about it. If you double post I'll delete the unnecessary copy. I double post sometime when I'm not sure if the first click worked.
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