Choices and Opportunities amid Economic Warfare: Strategic Decisions of the Business Elite in the Young Harbour Town of Antwerp during the Napoleonic Era

Abstract

In the world of business, unstable political circumstances exert a critical influence in determining commercial activities, especially when circum- stances are accompanied by unrest and economic insecurity. Periods of instability and political transitions increase social and economic uncertainty as well as challenge established business patterns and disrupt familiar busi- ness channels and connections. This was especially the case during the French-British wars from 1793 to 1815. These hostilities occurred amid a broader process of social, political and economic transitions, of which the French Revolution and industrialization in Great Britain were pivotal. In long-term perspective, economic modernization in Great Britain was accompanied by a shift in trade activities and routes, a development that challenged the competitive position of many continental ports.¹1 argue that the French-British War, which deployed economic measures as a means of warfare, disrupted economic life and challenged business people. Rather than focus solely on the detrimental effects, in line with recent historiog- raphy this chapter presents a case study that demonstrates that the conflict also offered opportunities to those who could capitalize on them and who had the pow^Ter and means to adapt their business strategies.²