Until the late 1700s, the economy of England was tightly controlled by the government, which limited the amount of interest that banks could charge, laid down rules about how employers should treat their workers, and set strict standards for how some products should be made. The government set up trade monopolies, giving certain companies the sole right to trade with certain parts of the world, like the English East India Company. ＿＿（11）＿＿ Then in the late 1700s, Adam Smith published a book called The Wealth of Nations, which advocated "laissez-faire," meaning "to let alone" in French. ＿＿（12）＿＿ He said individuals should be let alone to make their own economic decisions—what products to make, how to make them, and what to charge for them. ＿＿（13）＿＿ People would be motivated by the opportunity to try new ideas and make more money. Society, as a result, would become wealthier. After Smith's book was published, the idea of laissez-faire became more and more popular. ＿＿（14）＿＿ The new freedom to invent and invest helped spur the Industrial Revolution, creating, as Adam Smith had predicted, vast new wealth. But it also created the harsh conditions some employers maintained in the factories. These employers were believers in laissez-faire. ＿＿（15）＿＿ They say it was none of the government's business how much their workers were paid or how many hours a day they worked. For obvious reasons, the idea of laissez-faire was more popular among employers than among their workers.