What Did The Dutch East India Company Do?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

The Dutch East India Company, called the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC in Dutch, was a company whose main

purpose was trade, exploration, and colonization throughout

the 17th and 18th centuries. It was created in 1602 and lasted until 1800.

What did the Dutch East India Company sell?

Traded commodities included

textiles, pepper, and yarn from India, cinnamon, cardamom, and gems from Sri Lanka

. Some were traded only over short distances, while others traveled greater distances, such as between Indonesia, China, and Japan.

What did the Dutch West India Company do?

Dutch West India Company, byname of West India Company, Dutch West-Indische Compagnie, Dutch trading company, founded in 1621

mainly to carry on economic warfare against Spain and Portugal by striking

at their colonies in the West Indies and South America and on the west coast of Africa.

What did the East India Company do?

The East India Company was initially created in 1600 to serve as

a trading body for English merchants

, specifically to participate in the East Indian spice trade. It later added such items as cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter, tea, and opium to its wares and also participated in the slave trade.

Why was the Dutch East India Company so successful?

The Dutch had an advantage in resources because they were on the cutting edge of capitalism. The Dutch East India Company had a more successful strategy on

account of sound money

, an efficient tax system and a system of public debt by which the government could borrow from its citizens at low interest rates.

Why did the Dutch leave India?

Netherland had got independence from Spanish Empire in 1581. Due to war of independence,

the ports in Spain for Dutch were closed

. This forced them to find out a route to India and east to enable direct trade.

Why did the Dutch West India Company fail?


When the GWC could not repay its debts in 1674

, the company was dissolved. But because of high demand for trade with the West (mainly slave trade), and the fact that still many colonies existed, it was decided to establish the Second Chartered West India Company (also called New West India Company) in 1675.

When did Dutch leave India?

Native name Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie Generale Vereenichde Geoctrooieerde Compagnie (original name) Vereenigde Nederlandsche Geoctroyeerde Oostindische Compagnie (formal name) Defunct

31 December 1799
Fate Dissolved and nationalised as Dutch East Indies

Who came first Dutch or English?

Europeans Came to India Year Portuguese 1498 1500
Dutch


1602

1605
English 1600 1613 French 1664 1668

How much would the Dutch East India Company be worth today?

Dutch East India Company, established in the early 17th century, would be worth

$7.9 trillion

in today’s dollars.

Why did England give up India?

1947: Partition of India

During World War Two, the

British had mobilised India’s resources

for their imperial war effort. They crushed the attempt of Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress to force them to ‘quit India’ in 1942. … For this reason, Britain was desperate to keep India (and its army) united.

Who ruled India before British?


The Mughals

ruled over a population in India that was two-thirds Hindu, and the earlier spiritual teachings of the Vedic tradition remained influential in Indian values and philosophy. The early Mughal empire was a tolerant place. Unlike the preceding civilisations, the Mughals controlled a vast area of India.

How did British enter India?

The British East India Company came to India

as traders in spices

, a very important commodity in Europe back then as it was used to preserve meat. Apart from that, they primarily traded in silk, cotton, indigo dye, tea and opium. They landed in the Indian subcontinent on August 24, 1608, at the port of Surat.

Who was the VOC’s biggest competitor?

By contrast, the rest of Europe combined sent only 882,412 people from 1500 to 1795. VOC’s biggest competitor (

English East India Company

) is in second with a total of 2,690 ships, and 1⁄5 of the total tonage of goods carried by VOC.

Did the British take over India?

British raj, period of direct British rule over the Indian subcontinent from

1858 until

the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947. … The British government took possession of the company’s assets and imposed direct rule.

Why was the VOC so successful?

Lucrative trade

A pioneer of outward direct foreign investment, the company’s operations expanded significantly in Asia during the 1620s. … The

VOC was able to sell its spices at 14 to 17 times the price it paid for them

in Asia, since they were so valuable and rare in Europe.

Ahmed Ali
Author
Ahmed Ali
Ahmed Ali is a financial analyst with over 15 years of experience in the finance industry. He has worked for major banks and investment firms, and has a wealth of knowledge on investing, real estate, and tax planning. Ahmed is also an advocate for financial literacy and education.