Confrontation between English and French trading companies during colonization of Canada, 1608–1821

Sapuntsov A.

In the article, the author studies formation of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and its generation of competitive advantages over French enterprises in North American fur trade, including shipments of beaver pelts to Europe. The method of synchronous historic studies is used during generalization of important factual data. Narrative descriptions are given to express events of English and French rivalry. Novelty of the study is based upon determined links between centralization of fur trade units, utilization of the inland settler colonialism typology, and setting up a network of trading posts; these factors had determined changes of sequential French and English leadership in colonial Canada. It has been determined that the HBC had used its positon of a chartered monopoly and was able to exploit the Indians effectively. Eventually, the HBC transformed into a leading force in colonization of Canada and the adjacent present-day U.S. states. This entity drove away French fur traders, conquered their land, and eventually acquired the French Canadian North West Company (NWC).

Keywords:beaver pelt, U.K., Indians, Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), East India Company (EIC), North West Company (NWC), transnational corporation (TNC)