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The Dutch East India Company by Jordan Springer

The Dutch East India Company, although often associated with South Africa, did not begin there. As its name would suggest, it has roots involving India. The Company was created on March 20, 1602, when a group of Dutch trading companies and merchants became frustrated with Portugal’s hold on trading in East Asia, specifically India and its spices. They formed the Vereenigde Landsche Ge-Oktroyeerde Oostindische Compagnie, which is also known as the Dutch East India Company. They received a charter from their government, which meant that they were able to control the spice trade in the East India region, and were also able to colonize those same regions, enslaving its people. With this power, they wreaked havoc on the region. They occupied many areas, killing some of its people and enslaving others to create a trade empire in the region. They did unspeakable things in the name of building business. This carried on until the 1670s, when the Dutch East India Company began to lose business and decline. Despite this, it had its charter renewed twice, once until the end of 1789, then until the end of 1800. Eventually, the company lost power and fell off the grid around the beginning of the 1800s.  The situation of slavery and murder was the same in the area that is now known as South Africa. At what is now Cape Town, a refreshment station was set up to help revive sailors who had fallen sick at sea between Holland and Asia. When the station was first founded, the Dutch were on good terms with the native Africans, as they were originally not intending to create a colony. After a while, ill nature and a lack of supplies, especially slaves, resulted in the Dutch pushing farther inland. As can be expected, the natives began to fight back. However, the Cape civilization soon was well along, with a steady influx of slaves and more being made of the local Africans. This is what created the racist atmosphere that was prevalent until the creation of modern South Africa.  Even outside of South Africa, the Dutch East India Company has impacted the world. The company created a nearly worldwide trade system that is similar to what is used now. In addition to this, the company’s colonization helped to create entire countries. Despite their initial view, they also did good things for the world. The company created a trade system that connected continents and created countries.