The Forgotten Majority - 9781782384472

Looking at German merchants in London, who were the largest mercantile Christian immigrant group in the 18th century, this volume considers the causes of their migration, the establishment of their businesses, and the global reach of their enterprises, as well as the commercial function of the British naturalization policy and the risks of failure and chance for a new beginning in a foreign environment. It examines how they first became English citizens, the economic and political aims of Britain's mercantilist immigration and naturalization policy, and the background, place of birth, and occupation of naturalized subjects; their trading enterprises and international trade networks; German chain migration, the business strategies of parent firms in Germany, and the connections and spread of international families; the role of German merchants in the Levant Company and the Russia Company; the merchants' contribution to the development of a world economy by shipping goods from the Continent to Britain and other places; and the reasons, successes, and failures of these import and export patterns. The book was first published in German as Deutsche Kaufleute in London: Welthandel und Einbürgerung (1600-1818) in 2007. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)