What was the Dutch East India Trade Company?

Question

It turns out my husband's family were owners (well, partial owners) of the original Dutch East India Trade Company - WAY back in the day - at it's beginning. What exactly was the Dutch East India Trade Company? Was it a good thing? We're (sadly, but hopefully we're wrong) envisioning slavery or something! THANKS! :-)

Answer 1

it was a company that was a cash crop for britain.

Answer 2

whow i read all of the sharpe books and they were all about the co.it was the bigest trading co at the time. nap boanpart and befor. sure slaves but they were responsible for supporting the british army to give them security so they could conduct business..india to the far east and back to britian...

Answer 3

Unfortunately east india trading company was a financial entity that, had a huge infleunce on the british forgein politics and have feuled multiple wars to satisfy that, most notably the opium war with china, where the chinese authorities tried to ban opium, but the east india trading company didn't like that because they traded in opium in this period of time and they insighted the british government to start a war in china, also they did enslave alot of the locals n their operations either by actual slavery, or by utilizing their ties with the opressive local governors to enslave their people to serve the companies projects.

Answer 4

I'm sure they might've tabbled in slave trading. Their main market was goods from Asia to Europe, such as tea's, spices, and silk.

Answer 5

The DEITC was a financial institution that was granted a trading monopoly by the Dutch to operate within their sphere of influence in SE Asia.This is the area of modern Indonesia, New Guinea, et al. but also posts in Japan and all along the India Ocean coast line.

The original monopoly was to last 21 years and was the 2nd of its type, copied from the British; the Dutch innovation was to issue stock in the company. The company was bound to pay a set dividend to the Dutch Republic in return they were allowed governmental powers within their trading sphere. The governmental & military activities grew over time until the company essentially dominated modern Indonesia.

Disolved in 1800 the company was already on the decline and heavily in debt. Agressive competition from both French and, more importantly English EICs had squeezed margins and obliged diversification into numerous less profitable materials. Once Holland became a French puppet the company's debts & assets were transfered to the government.  

The focus of the company was the spice trade but it was also (esp. later) into plantations, textiles etc. and would carry just about anything in its hulls if it payed well. Making the voyage to the Indies profitable by picking up a few slaves did occur but far from a primary concern of the operation.    

Answer 6

They sent Abel Tasman to New Zealand in the seventeenth century. Apart from that though, I understood it to be a trading service for tea export

Answer 7

East India Company, any of a number of commercial enterprises formed in western Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries to further trade with the East Indies. The companies, which had varying degrees of governmental support, grew out of the associations of merchant adventurers who voyaged to the East Indies following the discovery in 1497 of the Cape of Good Hope route by Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama. The most important of the companies were given charters by their respective governments, authorizing them to acquire territory wherever they could and to exercise in the acquired territory various functions of government, including legislation, the issuance of currency, the negotiation of treaties, the waging of war, and the administration of justice. The most notable companies were the following.

A LOT of Spice and Silk trade.