"Fremde Negocianten“ in St. Petersburg und Riga im 18. Jahrhundert als Herausforderung des russländischen Merkantilismus

Abstract

After the foundation of St. Petersburg, Russia became part of the thriving global markets during the eighteenth century. While meeting the mercantilist aim of export surpluses, the goal of active participation in global markets with a Russian merchant fleet failed despite ongoing governmental efforts. In the northwestern port cities, most importantly Riga and St. Petersburg, this stark contrast between economic success and failure became most apparent. While both ports shared a common fate functionally with regard to foreign trade, they differed greatly in cultural and historical terms. Hence, this article argues that the different setting, notwithstanding the failure vis-àvis the dominance of foreign merchants, was a common feature of trade in both cities.