Kameralnoci

Kameralnoci, often referred to in English as cameralism (and in some languages as kameralizm or kameralnictwo), is a historical doctrine of state-building and economic policy that developed in early modern Europe, roughly from the 16th to the 18th century. It emerged primarily in German-speaking territories within the Holy Roman Empire and spread to parts of Central and Eastern Europe, including Austria, Bohemia, Prussia, and Poland-Lithuania. The term derives from the cameral or chamber administration that managed royal revenues and state finances.

Core ideas center on strengthening sovereign power through centralized administration and improved fiscal management. Cameralists argued that a strong, efficient state could increase national wealth by expanding productive activity and ensuring reliable revenue. Knowledge of economics and administration should be empirical, gathered through data such as cadastral surveys, population and property registers, and tax rolls. Policy recommendations focused on tax reform, rationalizing public finance, state control or regulation of key industries (mining, forestry, manufacturing, trade), and the creation of bureaucratic institutions to supervise these activities.

Measures often included creating or reforming finance chambers (Kammer), reforming land tax systems, regulating guilds and trade, promoting agriculture and infrastructure, and investing in education to produce capable administrators. While cameralism is closely related to mercantilism, its emphasis was less on free trade and more on using state power to maximize revenue and economic potential as the foundation of national strength.

The movement influenced early modern state-building and administrative reforms in Central Europe but waned with the rise of liberal economic thought in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Its legacy persists in notions of state-led planning and bureaucratic administration.