The Wealth of Nations: Book 1

4

Contents

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Introduction and Plan of the Work ....................................................

12

Book One: Of The Causes Of Improvement In The

Productive Powers Of Labour, And Of The Order

According To Which Its Produce Is Naturally

Distributed Among The Different Ranks Of The People ...............

16

Chapter 1. Of the Division of Labour ................................................

17

Chapter II. Of the Principle which gives occasion to

the Division of Labour..........................................................................

29

Chapter III. That the Division of Labour is limited by

the Extent of the Market......................................................................

35

Chapter IV. Of the Origin and Use of Money...................................

41

Chapter V. Of the Real and Nominal Price of

Commodities, or their Price in Labour, and their Price

in Money.................................................................................................

50

Chapter VI.Of the Component Parts of the Price of

Commodities..........................................................................................

73

Chapter VII. Of the Natural and Market Price of

Commodities..........................................................................................

83

Chapter VIII. Of the Wages of Labour ............................................

96

Chapter IX. Of the Profits of Stock ................................................

127

Chapter X. Of Wages and Profit in the different

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Employments of Labour and Stock .................................................

142

PART 1..........................................................................................................

143

Inequalities arising from the Nature of the Employments

themselves.................................................................................................

143

PART 2..........................................................................................................

169

Inequalities by the Policy of Europe...........................................................

169

Chapter XI. Of the Rent of Land .....................................................

203

PART 1..........................................................................................................

206

Of the Produce of Land which always affords Rent ....................................

206

PART 2..........................................................................................................

227

Of the Produce of Land which sometimes does, and sometimes

does not, afford Rent .................................................................................

227

PART 3..........................................................................................................

245

Of the Variations in the Proportion between the respective

Values of that Sort of Produce which always affords Rent, and of

that which sometimes does and sometimes does not afford Rent .................

245

Digression Concerning The Variations In The Value Of Silver

During The Course Of The Four Last Centuries .....................................

248

First Period..........................................................................................

248

Second Period ......................................................................................

267

Third Period ........................................................................................

269

Variations In The Proportion Between The Respective Values

Of Gold And Silver ...............................................................................

292

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Grounds Of The Suspicion That The Value Of Silver Still

Continues To Decrease..........................................................................

299

Different Effects Of The Progress Of Improvement Upon

Three Different Sorts Of Rude Produce..................................................

301

First Sort..............................................................................................

301

Second Sort..........................................................................................

304

Third Sort............................................................................................

317

Conclusion Of The Digression Concerning The Variations In

The Value Of Silver ..............................................................................

330

Effects Of The Progress Of Improvement Upon The Real

Price Of Manufactures...........................................................................

337

Conclusion Of The Chapter ...................................................................

344

Book Two: Of the Nature, Accumulation, and

Employment of Stock........................................................................

359

Chapter I. Of the Division of Stock..................................................

363

Chapter II. Of Money Considered as a Particular

Branch of the General Stock of the Society, or of the

Expense of Maintaining the National Capital ................................

374

Chapter III. Of the Accumulation of Capital, or of

Productive and Unproductive Labour ............................................

438

Chapter IV. Of Stock Lent at Interest.............................................

465

Chapter V. Of the Different Employment of Capitals...................

477

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Book Three: Of the Different Progress of Opulence in

Different Nations ................................................................................

499

Chapter I. Of the Natural Progress of Opulence...........................

500

Chapter II. Of the Discouragement of Agriculture in

the ancient State of Europe after the Fall of the Roman

Empire..................................................................................................

507

Chapter III. Of the Rise and Progress of Cities and

Towns after the Fall of the Roman Empire ....................................

523

Chapter IV. How the Commerce of the Towns

Contributed to the Improvement of the Country..........................

538

Book Four: Of Systems of Political Economy................................

556

Introduction.........................................................................................

557

Chapter I. Of the Principle of the Commercial, or

Mercantile System..............................................................................

558

Chapter II. Of Restraints upon the Importation from

Foreign Countries of such Goods as can be produced at

Home.....................................................................................................

589

Chapter III. Of the extraordinary Restraints upon the

Importation of Goods of almost all kinds from those

Countries with which the Balance is supposed to be

disadvantageous..................................................................................

617

PART 1..........................................................................................................

617

Of the Unreasonableness of those Restraints even upon the

Principles of the Commercial System .........................................................

617

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Digression Concerning Banks Of Deposit, Particularly

Concerning That Of Amsterdam ............................................................

625

PART 2..........................................................................................................

639

Of the Unreasonableness of those extraordinary Restraints upon

other Principles..........................................................................................

639

Chapter IV. Of Drawbacks................................................................

654

Chapter V.Of Bounties ......................................................................

662

DIGRESSION CONCERNING THE CORN TRADE AND

CORN LAWS .......................................................................................

686

Chapter VI. Of Treaties of Commerce ............................................

715

Chapter VII. Of Colonies...................................................................

732

PART 1..........................................................................................................

732

Of the Motives for establishing new Colonies ............................................

732

PART 2..........................................................................................................

744

Causes of Prosperity of New Colonies........................................................

744

PART 3..........................................................................................................

780

Of the Advantages which Europe has derived from the Discovery

of America, and from that of a Passage to the East Indies by the

Cape of Good Hope ...................................................................................

780

Chapter VIII. Conclusion of the Mercantile System ....................

852

Chapter IX. Of the Agricultural Systems, or of those

Systems of Political Economy which represent the

Produce of Land as either the sole or the principal

Source of the Revenue and Wealth every Country........................

880

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Appendix..............................................................................................

917

Book Five: Of the Revenue of the Sovereign or

Commonwealth ...................................................................................

921

Chapter I. Of the Expenses of the Sovereign or

Commonwealth ...................................................................................

922

PART 1..........................................................................................................

922

Of the Expense of Defence.........................................................................

922

PART 2..........................................................................................................

946

Of the Expense of Justice...........................................................................

946

PART 3..........................................................................................................

963

Of the Expense of Public Works and Public Institutions .............................

963

ARTICLE 1....................................................................................................

964

Of the Public Works and Institutions for facilitating the

Commerce of the Society And, first, of those which are

necessary for facilitating Commerce in general. .........................................

964

Of the Public Works and Institutions which are necessary for

facilitating particular Branches of Commerce. ............................................

976

ARTICLE II ..................................................................................................

1013

Of the Expense of the Institutions for the Education of Youth....................

1013

ARTICLE III .................................................................................................

1049

Of the Expense of the Institutions for the Instruction of People of

all Ages....................................................................................................

1049

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PART 4.........................................................................................................

1088

Of the Expense of Supporting the Dignity of the Sovereign .......................

1088

CONCLUSION ....................................................................................

1088

Chapter II. Of the Sources of the General or Public

Revenue of the Society.....................................................................

1091

PART 1.........................................................................................................

1091

Of the Funds or Sources of Revenue which may peculiarly

belong to the Sovereign or Commonwealth ...............................................

1091

PART 2.........................................................................................................

1103

Of Taxes ..................................................................................................

1103

ARTICLE I ...................................................................................................

1107

Taxes upon Rent. Taxes upon the Rent of Land.........................................

1107

Taxes which are proportioned, not to the Rent, but to the

Produce of Land...................................................................................

1119

Taxes upon the Rent of Houses .............................................................

1124

ARTICLE II ..................................................................................................

1135

Taxes on Profit, or upon the Revenue arising from Stock...........................

1135

Taxes upon as Profit of particular Employments ...................................

1142

Appendix to ARTICLES I and II. ...................................................................

1151

Taxes upon the Capital Value of Land, Houses, and Stock.........................

1151

ARTICLE III .................................................................................................

1159

Taxes upon the Wages of Labour ..............................................................

1159

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ARTICLE IV .................................................................................................

1164

Taxes which, it is intended, should fall indifferently upon every

different Species of Revenue.....................................................................

1164

Capitation Taxes ..................................................................................

1164

Taxes upon Consumable Commodities ..................................................

1167

Chapter III. Of Public Debts ..........................................................

1222

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