CH2 sec. 2.2 The growth of trade in the Republic

• Geschiedenis
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 2

Memo havo 2 TTO

CH2. The age of regents and rulers

The Golden Age

sec. 2.2 The growth of trade in the Republic

Golden Age

Learning objectives

Main question: How did the Republic become the centre of world trade?

• You can name and explain three causes for the economic growth of the Republic.
  
• You can explain how a global economy could emerge in the 17th century.
• You can explain how the the Fall of Antwerp contributed to the economic growth of Holland and Zeeland.
• You can explain which role commercial capitalism played the economic growth of the Republic. 
• You know the terms and dates of this section.
  

Causes of the growing trade

Causes

1. Changes in agriculture

Commercial agriculture = Cultivation of agricultural products, such as hemp and flax, for trade purposes. 

2. Growing Baltic trade.

3. Transfer of trade from Antwerp to Amsterdam.

Baltic trade

Around 1450 Dutch Hanseatic towns

like Deventer, Kampen and Zwolle 

traded with Baltic region.

• Bought wood and grain
• Sold salt and herring
  

End of fifteenth century Hanse 

trade went into decline. Towns in 

Holland, like Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Amsterdam took over Baltic trade.

Baltic trade

Around 1540 Amsterdam became a 

staple market for wood and grain.

Products were stored in warehouses

first and sold when prices had 

increased.

Baltic trade

During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries 

Antwerp was the centre of world trade.

1585 Fall of Antwerp 

• Protestants merchants and craftspeople 

fled to Holland and Zeeland.

• Republiek blockaded the Scheldt.
• Amsterdam became the centre of world 

trade and main port of the Netherlands.

Consequences of the Fall of Antwerp

Favourable consequences for the Republic:

• Flemish merchants transferred trade to Amsterdam and other cities.
  
• Flemish craftsmen brought industry to Amsterdam and other cities. Woven fabrics (cloth) and diamonds industry benefited economy.
• Staple market trade changed from a market exchange (resources) to a market for luxury products.
  
• Greater demand for labourers. Population growth > growing and expanding cities. For example the Amsterdams canal ring.

Everything revolves around trade

Commercial capitalism = form of economy in which merchants try to make as much profit as possible.

Merchants let workers / industry process raw materials from distant countries and then sold them for profit.

Profit (capital) was reinvested in new ships, products or exploring new trade routes.

Get to work

What? See whiteboard.

How? Alone 

Help? Ask neighbour. Can't figure it out? Ask teacher. 

Time? Until the end of the lesson. 

Done? Learn terms and dates. Ask teacher.