The Dutch represent the second wave of European exploration/imperialism (1st= Spain, Portugal; 2nd=Dutch, British). The Dutch Empire is dominated by the Trading Company chartered under the Dutch Republic. The Dutch East India Trading Co. is one of history's most successful businesses/corporations. The Dutch East India Trading Co. (VOC) came to dominate the spice trade of the East Indies. In the Early Modern Period, the Dutch East India Trading Company is the premier global corporation.
This map shows British, Dutch and Spanish shipping routes from 1750 to 1800. It's been created from newly digitized logbooks of European ships during this period. (Unfortunately, the French data is not shown.) These lines are the contours of empire and of European colonialism, yes, but they're also the first intimations of the global trade and transportation system that are still with us today. This was the flattening of the world, for better and for worse.
