Superlucros: a prova empírica do exclusivo colonial

This article responds to Andre Arruda Villela’s paper “Exclusivo metropolitano, ‘superlucros’ e acumulacao primitiva na Europa pre-industrial”, published in the issue 23 of this journal. Villela’s paper criticizes the colonial system model, especially the notions of monopoly and superprofits, denying any contribution of colonial exploitation to the launch of the British Industrial Revolution. Essentially, I restate the validity of the figures I verified in my book O Brasil no comercio colonial, published in 1980; I reiterate the strategic role of the Atlantic colonial world for the outset of the effective Industrial Revolution in Britain, as well as for the failed industrialization of France and Portugal.