The "Mother of All Trades": The Baltic Grain Trade in Amsterdam from the Late 16th to the Early 19th Century

Description

In the early-modern period, the Dutch called the grain trade on the Baltic the 'mother of all trades', as they considered it to be the basis of most of their trade and shipping and indeed the cornerstone of the Dutch economy. For a very long time the mass grain exports from the Baltic were dominated by the Dutch, and Amsterdam was the central 'entrepôt' from which the grain was distributed over the Dutch hinterland and the rest of Europe. This book aims to present a general history of the 'mother of all trades' and particularly shows the fundamental importance for transaction costs, including the costs for transport, insurance and protection, the quality of the local services sector in Amsterdam, the influence of monetary and mercantile policies, and the efficiency of trade organization. List of illustrations Lists of tables, graphs, figures, and maps Preface Introduction 1. The ‘mother of all trades’ 2. A global chronology of the Baltic grain trade 3. The approach used in this study: the role of transaction costs 4. Structure of the book Chapter One. Cornells Pietersz Hooft (1547–1626): booming business in an age of expansion 1. A chronicle of his life 2. The business of Cornells Pietersz Hooft 3. Hooft’s ideas about economic policy Conclusion Chapter Two. The great waves in the history of Baltic grain exports 1. The Sound Toll Tables: the Baltic historian’s Bible 2. An age of expansion (1540–1650) 3. A period of contraction (1650–1760) 4. Renewed growth (1760–1800) 5. Marginalization (1800–1860) Conclusion Chapter Three. The Amsterdam entrepôt 1. Amsterdam as an entrepôt for Baltic grain 2. Bread consumption in the Dutch Republic 3. The importance of Baltic grain to the Dutch food supply 4. Politics favouring the entrepôt Conclusion Chapter Four. Market organization and enterprises 1. A free market 2. Number and size of the enterprises involved in Baltic trade 3. A characterization of the enterprises 4. The role of foreign enterprises Conclusion Chapter Five. Information and agency 1. Amsterdam as a centre of information and decision making 2. Post between Holland and the Baltic 3. The Dutch mercantile communities overseas Conclusion Chapter Six. The Dutch mercantile marine and transport costs 1. Size and composition of the Dutch merchant fleet 2. Competitiveness and profitability of Dutch shipping 3. Determinants of freight costs in the long run: the character of the Baltic trade as an ‘inner trade’ 4. Determinants of freight costs in the short run 5. War and peace as determinants of freight costs 6. The weight of transport costs on profit margins Conclusion Chapter Seven. Risks at sea and the Board of Baltic Trade and Shipping 1. Maritime insurance and other ways to deal with risks at sea 2. A permanent institution to support Baltic trade and shipping 3. Activities of the Board 4. The directors Conclusion Chapter Eight. The service sector in Amsterdam 1. The grain lightermen 2. The grain carriers 3. The grain measurers and setters 4. Storage and maintenance of grain Conclusion Chapter Nine. Willem de Clercq (1795–1844): commission business in heavy weather 1. A chronicle of his life 2. An analysis of the firm of S & P de Clercq 3. Willem de Clercq’s ideas about trade Conclusion Conclusion Appendices A. Total Baltic grain exports divided according to sort of grain, 1562–1795 B. Baltic rye and wheat exports divided according to port of departure, 1562–1795 C. Freight costs Abbreviations Primary sources Bibliography Index