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The phrase nation of shopkeepers, also shopkeeping nation, designates a nation whose chief interest and concern lies in commerce.
The corresponding French phrase is nation de boutiquiers, also nation boutiquière.
Those English and French phrases have chiefly been used disparagingly in reference to Britain or the British. This disparaging use seems to have been popularised by accounts of the speech that the French revolutionary Bertrand Barère delivered to the National Convention on Monday 16th June 1794, which included the phrase nation boutiquière (cf., below, quotations 8, 9, 10 & 11). Therefore, although this disparaging use is often attributed to Napoléon Bonaparte (1769-1821), Emperor of the French as Napoléon I from 1804 to 1815, it does not appear to have originated with him.
These are, in chronological order, the earliest occurrences that I have found of the English phrase nation of shopkeepers, also shopkeeping nation, and of the French phrase nation de boutiquiers, also nation boutiquière:
1 & 2-: In reference to Japan:
1-: From The Modern Part of an Universal History, from the Earliest Account of Time. Compiled from Original Writers (London: Printed for S. Richardson, T. Osborne, [&c.], 1759) [Volume 10, Book 14, Chapter 7: The Conquests, Settlements, and Discoveries, of the Dutch in the East Indies, Section 24: A complete History of the Commerce and State of the Dutch Company at Japan, page 508]:
In reference to commerce, it is generally allowed that the bulk of the nation have a strong propensity thereto, insomuch that in their villages, as well as great towns, almost every private house is a magazine for some kind of traffick or other, so that it has been thought no bad description of the Japonese to stile them a nation of shopkeepers.
2-: From a translation of quotation 1 above, published in Histoire universelle, depuis le commencement du monde, jusqu’à présent. Traduite de l’anglois d’une société de gens de lettres (Amsterdam & Leipzig: Chez Arkstée & Merkus, 1764) [Tome 22, Livre 17, Chapitre 7: Conquêtes, Etablissemens & Découvertes de la Companie Hollandoise des Indes Orientales, Section 24: Histoire du Commerce & de l’Etat de la Companie au Japon, page 47]:
Quant au Commerce on convient généralement que le gros de la Nation y a beaucoup de penchant, ensorte que dans les villages comme dans les grandes villes chaque maison particuliere est une boutique pour l’un ou l’’autre trafic, tellement que l’on n’a pas mal rencontré en appellant les Japonois une Nation de Boutiquiers.
3-: From A Letter from a Merchant in London to his Nephew in North America, Relative to the Present Posture of Affairs in the Colonies (London: Printed for J. Walter, 1766), by the Welsh economist and political writer Josiah Tucker (1713-1799) [page 46]—in reference to Britain:
I am not for having Recourse to Military Operations. For granting, that we shall be victorious; still it is proper to enquire, before we begin, How are we to be benefited by our Victories? And what Fruits are to result from making you a conquered People?—Not an Increase of Trade: that is impossibe [sic]: For a Shop-keeper will never get the more Custom by beating his Customers: And what is true of a Shop-keeper, is true of a Shop-keeping Nation.
4-: From a letter, dated London, Thursday 27th April 1769, from the American statesman, inventor and scientist Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) to Samuel Cooper, published in The Works of Benjamin Franklin (Philadelphia: Childs & Peterson, 1840), edited by the U.S. historian Jared Sparks (1789-1866) [Volume 7, page 441]—in reference to Britain—the phrase is shopkeeping state:
The [British] Parliament remain fixed in their resolution not to repeal the duty acts […]. I hope my country folks will remain as fixed in their resolutions of industry and frugality, till these acts are repealed […] being persuaded, that we shall reap more solid and extensive advantages from the steady practice of those two great virtues, than we can possibly suffer damage from all the duties the Parliament of this kingdom can levy on us. They flatter themselves you cannot long subsist without their manufactures […].
[…]
[…] The advantages of your perseverance in industry and frugality will be great and permanent. Your debts will be paid, your farms will be better improved, and yield a greater produce; your real wealth will increase in a plenty of every useful home production, and all the true enjoyments of life, even though no foreign trade should be allowed you; and this handicraft, shop-keeping state, will, for its own sake, learn to behave more civilly to its customers.
5-: From An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (London: Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1776), by the Scottish moral philosopher and political economist Adam Smith (1723-1790) [Volume 2, Book 4, Chapter 7, page 221]—in reference to Britain:
To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers, may at first sight appear a project fit only for a nation of shopkeepers. It is, however, a project altogether unfit for a nation of shopkeepers; but extremely fit for a nation that is governed by shopkeepers.
6-: From a translation of quotation 5 above, published in Fragment sur les colonies en général, et sur celles des Anglois en particulier (Basle: Chez Jean-Jacques Flick, 1778) [chapitre 4: Avantages que l’Europe a retirés du commerce de l’Amérique, page 115]:
Fonder un grand empire dans le seul dessein de se procurer des pratiques semble d’abord n’ètre le projet que d’une nation de boutiquiers : cependant ce projet n’est pas même convenable à une nation de boutiquiers ; il ne peut convenir qu’à une nation où les boutiquiers tiendront le timon de l’Etat.
7-: From Saunders’s News-Letter, and Daily Advertiser (Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland) of Monday 5th June 1786 [page 1, column 4]—in reference to Britain:
Much has been constantly said of our obligations to Great Britain for the favours she has of late conferred on us, particularly the granting us a liberty to trade to their West India Colonies; but it should be considered that this grant has been almost ineffectual by the duties laid on the sugars and other articles, by which the British merchant is enabled to undersell us even at our own markets, notwithstanding the expences of freight, port duties, &c. Let us not therefore be amused with mere words or professions, for a nation of shopkeepers and merchants look alone to the extension of their own commerce, and are seldom very liberal and generous in their proceedings to that of any other, from an unjust principle of avarice and commercial jealousy.
8-: From a transcript of the speech that the French revolutionary Bertrand Barère (1755-1841) delivered to the National Convention on Monday 16th June 1794 (octodi 28 Prairial, l’an II de la République française), published in Feuille de la République (Paris, France) of Tuesday 17th June 1794 (nonodi 29 Prairial, l’an II de la République française) [page 2, column 1]:
—Context: On Sunday 1st June 1794, was fought a naval battle between the French and British fleets. While the British fleet achieved a tactical victory by capturing or sinking seven French ships, the French fleet achieved its strategic goal of protecting a vital grain convoy from America.—William Pitt (1759-1806) was then the Prime Minister of Great Britain:
« Que Pitt aille vanter cette victoire à son parlement ; qu’il dise à son peuple de marchands, que la flotte dont il comptoit s’enrichir, est entrée dans nos ports […].
« […] Il verra comme cette nation boutiquière recevra ces bonnes nouvelles ! »
translation:
“Let Pitt go and boast of this victory to his parliament; let him tell his people of merchants, that the fleet they counted on to get rich, has entered our ports […].
“[…] He shall see how this shopkeeping nation will take this good news!”
9-: From an account of the speech delivered by Bertrand Barère on Monday 16th June 1794, published in The Chester Chronicle (Chester, Cheshire, England) of Friday 27th June 1794 [page 3, column 1]:
“Let Pitt then boast of this victory to his nation of shopkeepers (nation boutiquiere).”
10-: From comments on the speech delivered by Bertrand Barère on Monday 16th June 1794, published in The Public Register, or, Freeman’s Journal (Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland) of Thursday 3rd July 1794 [page 2, column 1]:
The report of Barrere on the glorious naval action of the first of June, is no bad specimen of the virulence and asperity in which the present rulers of France are, on every occasion, happy to indulge themselves against this country—the leading object of their hatred. It serves, however, to shew how consistent they are in their professed principles of equality, and their adherence of distinctions, when, by calling England a nation of shopkeepers, they wish to stigmatize the industrious part of the people for their honest pursuits in life. What do the wild and incoherent ideas of those demagogues amount to? If a man possesses an independent estate, he is an indolent aristocrat, and must be sans culottized; and if he has no other dependence but the fruits of his laborious exertions, he is mean, and worthy only of their hatred.
11-: From a transcript of the speech that Samuel Birch (1757-1841), Deputy of the Cornhill Ward, delivered during the meeting of the Court of Common Council of the City of London that was held on Tuesday 20th January 1795 “for the purpose of taking into consideration the propriety of addressing the Throne to put an immediate end to the War [with France]”—transcript published in The Times (London, England) of Friday 23rd January 1795 [page 3, column 4]:
Was […] the city of London that very mercenary character? Did she revere no law but the law of her Ledger? Was she guided by no rule but the rule of three? Was this her glory? Peace now, might increase her bills of lading, but would it give respect to her convoys, or dignity to her sails? “Gracious God,” he exclaimed, “well shall we deserve the reproach fixed on our national character in the very Convention of our enemies, that we are a nation of Shopkeepers, if we are content to sacrifice the honour, the welfare, the dignity, the existence of England.”
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