mercantilismist
Mercantilismist refers to an adherent or proponent of mercantilism, an economic theory prevalent in Europe from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Mercantilists believed that a nation's wealth and power were best served by increasing exports and collecting precious metals like gold and silver. They advocated for policies that would promote a favorable balance of trade, meaning a country should export more goods than it imports. This accumulation of specie was seen as the primary indicator of a nation's economic strength and its ability to finance military ventures and maintain its global standing.
Key tenets of mercantilismist thought included the idea that the world's wealth was finite, leading to a