1 6 4 0 – 1 6 6 0 ). ▁Mer c ant il ist ▁policies ▁were ▁also ▁emb rac ed ▁throughout ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁T ud or ▁and ▁Stuart ▁periods , ▁with ▁Robert ▁Wal pole ▁being ▁another ▁major ▁pro ponent . ▁In ▁Britain , ▁government ▁control ▁over ▁the ▁domestic ▁economy ▁was ▁far ▁less ▁extensive ▁than ▁on ▁the ▁Cont inent , ▁limited ▁by ▁common ▁law ▁and ▁the ▁stead ily ▁increasing ▁power ▁of ▁Parliament . ▁ ▁Government - control led ▁mon opol ies ▁were ▁common , ▁especially ▁before ▁the ▁English ▁Civil ▁War , ▁but ▁were ▁often ▁controvers ial . ▁ ▁With ▁respect ▁to ▁its ▁colon ies , ▁British ▁merc ant il ism ▁meant ▁that ▁the ▁government ▁and ▁the ▁mer ch ants ▁became ▁partners ▁with ▁the ▁goal ▁of ▁increasing ▁political ▁power ▁and ▁private ▁wealth , ▁to ▁the ▁ex clusion ▁of ▁other ▁emp ires . ▁The ▁government ▁protected ▁its ▁mer ch ants ▁– ▁and ▁kept ▁others ▁out ▁– ▁by ▁trade ▁bar riers , ▁reg ulations , ▁and ▁subs id ies ▁to ▁domestic ▁indust ries ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁maxim ize ▁exports ▁from ▁and ▁minim ize ▁imports ▁to ▁the ▁real m . ▁The ▁government ▁used ▁the ▁Royal ▁Navy ▁to ▁protect ▁the ▁colon ies ▁and ▁to ▁fight ▁sm ugg ling ▁– ▁which ▁became ▁a ▁favour ite ▁American ▁technique ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁to ▁circum vent ▁the ▁restrictions ▁on ▁trad ing ▁with ▁the ▁French , ▁Spanish ▁or ▁Dutch . ▁The ▁goal ▁of ▁merc ant il ism ▁was ▁to ▁run ▁trade ▁sur pl uses , ▁so ▁that ▁gold