Member-only story
Amsterdam and Free Market Economics
Capitalism through the lens of the red light district.
Anyone who knows their history will have read a bit about the Dutch Empire.
Along with the Portuguese, the Dutch were quickest out of their domain and took the business of empire quite seriously in heading out to the far East in pursuit of rubber, spices etc.
Before doing a swap with the Brits over what’s also known as New York today, they were a strong presence in the new world.
They were also in Africa too, battling with the Portuguese in Ghana for gold before heading out to South Africa, committing some of worst crimes against humanity, while helping themselves to the precious diamonds discovered in the pits.
Not too many people know that the Dutch are the originators of the stock market. What was put together back in the 17th century has now become the instrument of the almighty United States of America in its dominance of the world.
It is no hyperbole to state that the Netherlands of the 21st century bears little semblance to the country that dominated the world for a minute, well over four hundred years ago.
Amsterdam, its capital city, is to all intents and purposes, a third rate European city; comparable perhaps to the Liverpools and Glasgows of this world.