2.1 Trade and industry in the Republic

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The Golden Age

Chapter 2

Trade and industry in the Republic

paragraph 2.1

The Dutch Golden Age

The Golden Age

The Republic was the richest country in the world during the 17th century.   

Causes:

1. Trade
2. The invention of the fluytship 
3. The invention of more efficient windmills
4. The Fall of Antwerp which caused Amsterdam to become the trade capital of the world. 

Antwerp

Amsterdam

Trade in the Republic

The most important trade companies included:

1. The mother negotion:

the trade in grain and wood on the Baltic Sea. 

2. The VOC

the trade in spices in the Indies 

3. The WIC

the triangular trade in silver, gold and slaves around the Atlantic Ocean

Baltic Sea

The VOC

The VOC received privileges from the States-General:

• a trade monopoly: the right to trade with Asia as the only country 
• The right to go to war in name of the Republic

The WIC

After it turned out the VOC was a great success, the Republic established another company: The Dutch West India Company. 

 

The WIC were mostly pirates and were far less successful because of competition from England, Spain and Portugal.  

tabacco, coffee and sugar

slaves

weapons and alcohol

Triangular trade

Slavery

The WIC traded in gold and silver, but also in people. 

In America, people were in high demand because of the high number of plantations. 

→ So, the WIC decided to ship people from Africa to America, enslave them en forced them to work on plantations.  

Write down at least 3 differences between the VOC and the WIC (use your book as well!)

What was the Netherlands called during the Golden Age?

1. Republiek of the Seven United Provinces
2. Kingdom of the Netherlands
3. The Low Countries
4. The Burgundian Netherlands

Why is the Golden Age considered 'gold'

1. Because The Netherladns made a lot of money
2. Because in art, painters used a lot of gold
3. In the cities you could find a lot of gold and sell it
4. It was an age with great prosperity

What does NOT belong to the Golden Age?

1. prosperity
2. art
3. monarchy
4. war

During which age was the Golden Age?

1. 14th century
2. 15th century
3. 16th century
4. 17th century

Trade in the Republic

From around 1450, Dutch cities started a trade network around the Baltic Sea.

Cause: The Republic did not have suitable ground to harvest grain.  

Consequence: The Republic started importing that from Germany and Scandinavia. 

= mother negotion: mother of all trade

The Golden Age

Most money was made in trade. Merchants bought goods and sold that again, with profit. This profit was used to buy goods again. 

= merchant capitalism

In Amsterdam, a staple market was created. Merchants had to store their goods and used warehouses as storage. 

Trade and industry in the Republic

paragraph 2.1

World trade

During the 16th century, Portugal and Spain discovered new trade routes and new parts of the world.

This lead to trade in products that weren't known before, like

sugar, cacao, coffee, tabacco from America and spices  from Asia. 

→ global economy. 

The VOC

In the Dutch Republic, they also started participating in
the global trade. 

Each province or big city established their own company to do so. 

Later, politicians realised it would be more profiting if these companies worked together. 

This became the Dutch East India Company (the VOC in Dutch)

Get to work!

Read the news article (see ELO) and answer the questions at the end of the article. You have 15 min to do so. 

After 15 min, you can discuss with your neighbour.

Why is the term Golden Age is heavily debated, according to this article?

Give an argument against the use of the term Golden Age, that is given in the article.

Provide an argument for using of the term Golden Age, that is given in the article

Provide an argument for using of the term Golden Age, that is given in the article

What do you think of using the term Golden Age? Explain why you think so.

Fill in two words you learned today