Western Civilization II / Unit 2 WC2 0117 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Dutch Golden Age: Middlemen, Bankers, Toleration, and the End of Dominance
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The idea
During the revolt against Spain the Dutch made trade their lifeline: middlemen for Russian timber, English cloth and German wine, and Europe's bankers, inventing formal currency exchange and the stock market. The seventeenth century was their golden age, Rembrandt its painter.
In practice
The Netherlands replaced northern Italy as Europe's trading heart.
Where people slip
Louis's wars ended Dutch dominance, the anchor says, not prosperity.
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