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Netherlands back then flourished thanks to being a trade superpower (similar to Venice a couple centuries earlier), not thanks to being open to immigrants. Pola
by badpun 2y ago
Netherlands back then flourished thanks to being a trade superpower (similar to Venice a couple centuries earlier), not thanks to being open to immigrants. Poland was also extremely open to immigrants back then, but didn’t have the high seas trade and colonial empire - and didn’t do nearly as well as Netherlands did.
- jillesvangurp 2y agoHow do you think it became a trade super power? It was interacting with a lot of foreigners. And that was after they cut loose from the Spanish Empire around the same time of the Spanish Inquisition and the arrival of a lot of Spanish jews, French Huegenots, and lots of others in the Netherlands. The renaissance started in Venice and then moved North.
- badpun 2y agoTo my understanding, Netherlands had a long-standing tradition of maritime commerce. Before discovery of sea routes to Asia and Americas, they were doing a lot of trading within Europe (e.g. selling Polish grain on the Western markets). After the discoveries, it was somewhat natural for them to expand on to new markets. Spanish Jews or French Hugenots (to my knowledge) didn't have much of expertise in terms maritine commerce, so I don't think they were a factor (however, the Jews might have facilitated development of financial markets for financing the overseas trading expeditions).