How did The Wealth of Nations influence the development of classical economics?

Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776) is widely considered the foundational text of classical economics, providing the first comprehensive system of political economy.123

Its influence on the development of the field includes:

• Promotion of Laissez-Faire: Smith challenged the prevailing mercantilist policies of his time, arguing that free competition and free trade—unhampered by government intervention—best promote economic growth. He described this as a system of "perfect liberty".4513
• Market Mechanism: He demonstrated how individual self-interest, when guided by competition, creates an orderly system of economic cooperation that meets societal needs and increases national wealth.45
• Economic Analysis: Smith introduced early concepts of the labour theory of value and distribution, which later economists like David Ricardo and John Stuart Mill expanded upon to mature the classical school.4
• Division of Labour: He identified the division of labour as a key driver of productivity and capital accumulation, setting the stage for modern economic analysis.5