Question

1. what basic principle of mercantilism was disproved by adam smith in his book, the wealth of nations?

that foreign goods were always inferior because british factories were better
that the rich could only get richer if the poor had a way to improve their own lives
that there was a fixed and limited amount of wealth in the world
that workers would stop working if they were not provided with a minimum wage

Explanation:

Mercantilism centered on the idea that global wealth was fixed, so nations sought to hoard gold via trade surpluses. Adam Smith argued in The Wealth of Nations that wealth is created through productive labor and free markets, not a fixed pool, disproving this core mercantilist principle.

Answer:

that there was a fixed and limited amount of wealth in the world