Political Interest wrote:Oh I see. Thank you for explaining this.
I like the subject matter so thanks for asking the question.
Political Interest wrote:Did the merchant class evolve into the bourgeoisie?
I suppose they are virtual synonyms. Bourgeoisie is frenchy word for town dweller, like Burgher is in German. Towns grow up around market places and markets are staffed and visited by merchants. Consequently a town-dweller is stereo-typically a merchant.
Political Interest wrote:And the peasants and soldiers became the proletariat?
By soldiers I was thinking professional military types which would be knights and lords rather than the incidental levies which they might raise from civilians such as peasants and "proletariat".
A peasant is a rural person, stereo-typically a farmer or farm worker but also game-keepers etc. I guess if a rural person moves to the city and gets a job in a smithy or something like that you could class him as a proletariat if you enjoy that sort of thing.
Political Interest wrote:Because I seem to notice a pattern that the most capitalist or liberal countries were also the ones with the biggest mercantile traditions.
Everything builds off of food surpluses. Without food surpluses there is no free labour to do other things and to support urban life. When you have food surpluses you can have towns and when you have towns you have an environment split between rural spheres which produce food and consume goods and urban areas which consume food and produce goods. To facilitate the trade between town and country there will be a niche for merchants who buy from one to sell to the other.