ABSTRACT
The Dutch had first of all sought to meet their demand for materials with fishing and connected activities. The synergic link between large-scale trade and urban industries was one of the Dutch Republic’s principal strengths, and is particularly evident in the interaction between shipbuilding, the timber industry, salt refineries, sail manufacturers, packaging and the many other related industries. Dutch merchant colonies, engineers and artisans operated all over Europe, providing their technical skills and large amounts of capital to invest in land reclamation, public works, mining and industry. The evident success of the Dutch provided a direction for economic policy and the considerations of economists all over Europe. The Dutch legal system aimed to protect property rights and to find the best ways to resolve conflicts between merchants, while the fiscal system was efficient and admitted virtually no privileges. The onset of the Dutch Republic’s relative economic decline must be placed within the start of an economic cycle of falling prices.
