The authors are showing you the road we traveled to reach a capitalistic, free market economy. You need to understand this economic history. This idea is something that eastern Europe and Russia currently aspire to. The economic upheaval led to the French Revolution in 1789. The feudal guild system used a moderate charge for a service or product.
Capitalism is a system designed to encourage commercial expansion beyond the local level.
Colonies abroad were needed to produce raw materials for industry in the mother country. It was directed by the state to benefit the state. Hopefully, the various communities would also benefit. The key to this section is the slow evolution of modern industrial capitalism with its emphasis upon individual profit as it emerges from medieval mercantilism. The discovery of the new world greatly increased the hunt for raw materials to support growing industries.