International bankers as diplomatic agents during the Napoleonic wars, an example of business diplomacy. How and why were the bankers of Hope & Co and Baring in the period from 1800-1810...Show moreInternational bankers as diplomatic agents during the Napoleonic wars, an example of business diplomacy. How and why were the bankers of Hope & Co and Baring in the period from 1800-1810 involved in diplomatic dealings and what were the effects of their involvement? This question is answered on the basis of three cases: the Louisiana Purchase, the Mexican silver and peace negotiations. Internationale bankiers als diplomatieke agenten gedurende de Napoleontische oorlogen, een voorbeeld van business diplomatie. Hoe en waarom waren de bankiers Hope & Co en Baring betrokken bij diplomatieke acties en wat waren de effecten van hun betrokkenheid? Deze vragen worden behandeld aan de hand van drie cases: de verkoop van Louisiana, het Mexicaanse zilver en vredesbesprekingen.Show less
This thesis presents Narcís Feliu de la Penya’s economic proposals in Catalonia’s late 17th century and puts them into context with the diverse growth model and the urban network of early modern...Show moreThis thesis presents Narcís Feliu de la Penya’s economic proposals in Catalonia’s late 17th century and puts them into context with the diverse growth model and the urban network of early modern Catalonia, embedding them in the frame of the second recuperation. The thesis defends that the origins of Catalonia’s industrial revolution during the 19th century are in the changes that unfolded in the period between 1660 and 1700, rather than in the late 18th century and that textile production was not central to this process as attested by Narcís Feliu de la Penya’s works.Show less
The Portuguese decolonisation in Africa followed an exceptional path through the 1950s and 1960s. Portugal continued to reject decolonisation as other European powers’ colonies moved towards...Show moreThe Portuguese decolonisation in Africa followed an exceptional path through the 1950s and 1960s. Portugal continued to reject decolonisation as other European powers’ colonies moved towards independence. Due to its unique position, the decolonisation had a large international dimension, attracting much attention from not only many nation states but also both the UN (United Nations) and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). This research will be concerned with the British media and how it portrayed the decolonisation of Mozambique, a Portuguese colony. The fact that Mozambique was the first state admitted to the British Commonwealth having never been part of the British Empire or under the control of any other member state indicates the connections that Britain has shared with Mozambique. Only one other state, Rwanda in 2009, has been afforded admittance. This research will highlight British interest in Mozambique and argue that this interest affected reporting in British newspapers concerning decolonisation in Mozambique.Show less
Research master thesis | History: Societies and Institutions (research) (MA)
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A system of subprime plantation mortgages was created by the Dutch in the second half of the 18th century. A credit structure was set up that would link Dutch investors with their West Indian...Show moreA system of subprime plantation mortgages was created by the Dutch in the second half of the 18th century. A credit structure was set up that would link Dutch investors with their West Indian colonies, by providing plantation mortgages (called negotiaties) for those dreaming of becoming planters. Interest rates were high: attractive for investors, but all too cumbersome for the new plantation owners. Many planters, mostly producing coffee, could not repay their loans, leading to the demise of the system as many bankrupt planters returned home and investors lost their capital. That is the case in Suriname at least, because in the near-by colonies of Essequibo and Demerara the plantation economy had only just took-off and continued to expand. This thesis tries to explain that divergence, next to identifying the winners and losers in the system and testing several explanatory concepts in order to gain a better conceptual understanding of the negotiatie structure. Results are that winners and losers were different than previously thought: investors could still be winners, while the fund managers could easily be losers. Additionally, the negotiatie system should be termed a classic mania, that could persist only for a limited time because of the Ponzi aspects, visible in the need for continuous refinancing. Lastly, the plantation mortgage structure could be seen as a failed transition to modernity, one that tried to bridge the commercial and financial interest of the Dutch economy, but was too much rooted in mercantilist thought. This was less the case for Essequibo and Demerara, where an open, but partly illegal, connection with the rest of the Atlantic was more important than the obligatory relationship with the metropolis. Next to legal supplies, illegal trade occurred on a large scale and proved crucial for the development of the two colonies.Show less
