Historical factor
State monopolies
State monopolies refers to the recurring pattern in which governments reserved control of valuable goods or trades for themselves or chartered companies. Monopolies generated revenue but could encourage smuggling and inefficiency. Examples include the salt and iron monopoly of the Han Dynasty, the Ptolemaic Empire's controlled economy, the Dutch East India Company and the Benin Empire's royal trade.
Mentioned in 12 profiles
Dutch EmpireFoundation, SocioeconomyFrench EmpireGovernanceHan DynastySocioeconomyMing EmpireSocioeconomyPortuguese EmpireSocioeconomyPtolemaic EmpireSocioeconomyPunic EmpireSocioeconomySafavid EmpireSocioeconomySasanian EmpireSocioeconomySeleucid EmpireSocioeconomySpanish EmpireSocioeconomyTokugawa ShogunateFoundation
See also
Cite this entry
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). State monopolies. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/state-monopolies
- MLA
- “State monopolies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/state-monopolies. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “State monopolies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/state-monopolies.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State monopolies’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/state-monopolies (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻