Final answer:
Jean-Baptiste Colbert improved the French economy through mercantilist policies by promoting domestic manufacturing, establishing a merchant marine, and increasing tariffs to protect domestic industries. His actions epitomized mercantilist ideals focused on national wealth accumulation and economic self-sufficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
To enrich France's economy, Jean-Baptiste Colbert implemented a series of policies aligned with mercantilism, seeking to strengthen the nation by increasing its wealth through domestic manufacturing and foreign trade. He promoted French manufacturing by establishing royal factories and granting monopolies to private companies for lace manufacturing. These actions were designed to produce high-quality French goods that could fetch high prices overseas. Moreover, by increasing tariffs and banning certain imports like lace, Colbert protected domestic industries and reduced reliance on foreign goods.
Colbert also developed a strong merchant marine to transport French goods abroad, which contributed to the wealth of the nation by ensuring French control over the transportation of its exports. This not only kept money within the country but also enhanced France's naval capabilities. Despite the future shift towards laissez-faire economics, during Colbert's time the mercantilist approach dominated, with the objective of maximizing the accumulation of precious metals, favoring exports over imports, and establishing colonies to provide both raw materials and markets for the home country's products.
While Colbert indeed sought to tax the nobility to further fill the nation's coffers, he was largely unsuccessful in this endeavor. Nevertheless, his mercantilist policies had a notable impact on France's economic landscape of the period, reflecting the mercantilist system's emphasis on government intervention to ensure national prosperity over international competition.