How one of the most profitable companies in history rose to power - Adam Clulow

翻译人员: maria antonia santos 校对人员: Helen Chang

During the 17th century,

在十七世纪，

the three letters “VOC” formed the world’s most recognizable logo.

“VOC” 成为了世界上最知名的标志，

These initials belonged to the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie,

它是 Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie 的缩写，

or the Dutch East India Company—

或称荷兰东印度公司，

widely considered the most profitable corporation ever created.

普遍被认为是世上最获利的公司。

Starting in 1602, it cornered the booming spice market

从 1602 年起，它垄断了 蓬勃发展的香料市场，

and pioneered trade routes between Asia and Europe.

也开发了新的亚欧贸易路线。

But such success came with an overwhelming cost in human life.

但是这样的成功 伴随着压倒性的人命成本。

When the Dutch state created the Company,

当荷兰政府创造了公司，

it granted the organization the power to wage war,

政府给了这个组织发动战争的能力，

conduct diplomacy, and seize colonies throughout Asia.

进行外交和在亚洲抢占殖民地。

The Dutch East India Company was intended to make money

荷兰东印度公司本为赚钱

and battle competing European empires.

和对抗竞争的欧洲国家。

The Asian market was the largest at the time

亚洲市场当时是世上最大的，

and spices were in great demand throughout Europe.

欧洲对香料有很大的需求。

Nutmeg was among the most precious.

肉豆蔻是最珍贵的。

But it was only cultivated on Indonesia’s Banda Islands.

但是它只在印度尼西亚的 班达群岛生长。

If Dutch officials could seize exclusive control over nutmeg,

如果荷兰官方可以占有肉豆蔻

they'd make their investors rich,

他们的投资者获利丰盛，

ensure the Company’s long-term survival

保证了公司的长期生存，

and deprive their adversaries of the same gains.

竞争者得不到同样的利润。

However, their plan hinged on the submission of the Bandanese people.

然而他们的计划 取决于班达人的服从。

This was something Company officials, like the ruthless Jan Pieterszoon Coen,

这正是一些官方 像扬·彼得斯佐恩·库恩

were willing to go to great lengths to ensure.

愿意竭尽全力而保证的。

Home to around 15,000 people,

这是一万五千人的家乡，

the Banda Islands were composed of village confederations

班达群岛是被村联合会组成的，

controlled by rich men called orang kaya, who were expert traders.

被富人控制，这些是很有头脑的商人。

They'd retained their virtual monopoly over nutmeg for centuries,

几个世纪以来，他们保持着 几乎全然的肉豆蔻垄断，

selling at the highest price to Asian and European merchants.

用高价卖给亚洲和欧洲的商人。

When the Dutch East India Company arrived in the early 1600s,

当荷兰东印度公司 在1600年抵达了班达群岛，

its officials persuaded a group of orang kaya to sign a treaty.

官方和当地的富人们签了一个协议。

It guaranteed protection in exchange for monopoly rights to their nutmeg.

这个协议保证了 对肉豆蔻独有的权利。

Bandanese leaders had made similar agreements before,

班达人的领导们之前 也做过类似的协议，

but were able to break them without serious consequences.

但能够违反协议也没有严重的后果。

The Dutch represented a new threat.

荷兰带来了新的威胁。

They attempted to build forts to control trade and stop smuggling,

他们为了控制商议和走私建了堡垒，

and insisted that all nutmeg be sold to them at deflated prices.

执意所有的肉豆蔻以低价卖给他们。

Many Bandanese refused and relations continued to deteriorate.

很多班达人拒绝了这个要求， 造成了关系继续恶化。

In 1609, a group of villagers ambushed and killed a Dutch admiral and 40 of his men.

1609年，一帮村民击杀了 荷兰上将和40个部下。

Over the next decade, tensions escalated as treaties were broken and re-signed.

接下来的十年里，紧张局势升级， 条约被破坏和重新签署。

The Company and Jan Pieterszoon Coen, its Governor-General,

公司和总督扬·彼得斯佐恩·库恩

began considering new strategies.

开始重新考虑新的策略。

The Bandanese, one official wrote,

班达人，一个官员写道，

should be “brought to reason or entirely exterminated.”

应该“讲道理或被全部消灭”。

Coen himself believed that there could be no trade without war.

库恩认为没有战争就没有贸易。

In 1621, with the approval of his superiors,

1621年被上级批准

he staged a massive invasion and made Bandanese leaders sign another document.

他大举入侵，逼着班达人的 领导者们签新文件。

But this time, the terms didn’t recognize the Bandanese as a sovereign people—

但是这次条约不承认 班达人的民族主权，

they were the Dutch East India Company’s colonial subjects.

反而成了荷兰东印度公司的殖民。

Soon, Dutch officials claimed they'd detected a conspiracy against them.

不久以后荷兰官方宣称 察觉到一个反对他们的阴谋。

Coen used this to eliminate further resistance.

库恩利用这一点来消灭反抗。

He ordered his soldiers to torture Bandanese leaders to extract confessions.

他命令士兵去折磨 班达领导者以取得供词。

Over the following months,

在接下来几个月里，

Company troops waged a brutal campaign that decimated the population.

公司的士兵发动一场大屠杀。

Many Bandanese people were starved to death or enslaved

很多的班达人被饿死，

或被送到远方的荷兰殖民地成为奴隶。

and sent to distant Dutch colonies.

Others jumped from cliffs rather than surrender.

有一些人宁可跳崖也不要投降。

Thousands fled, emptying out whole villages.

上千人逃走了，整村变成了鬼域。

Some survivors resettled on other islands,

有些幸存者搬移到了别的岛上生活，

where they preserved remnants of Bandanese language and culture.

保存他们的语言和文化。

When the Company’s violent campaign was over,

公司暴力的活动结束后，

the indigenous population had plummeted to less than a thousand,

土著人民只剩下不到一千人，

most of whom were enslaved.

大多数成为了奴隶。

The Dutch East India Company sliced the islands into plantations

荷兰东印度公司把班达群岛 转化成了种植园，

and imported an enslaved workforce.

引进奴工。

It was, by many measures, an act of genocide.

这是种族灭绝。

By securing this global monopoly over nutmeg,

保持了对肉豆蔻的独占事业，

the Company supercharged its economic development,

公司大大地推动经济发展，

contributing to the Dutch Golden Age.

贡献了荷兰的黄金年代。

Although Coen faced criticism,

尽管佐恩被批评，

he was celebrated as a national hero well into the 20th century.

直到 20 世纪 他仍被看作是国家英雄。

400 years after the massacre on Banda,

班达岛大屠杀过了 400 年后，

Coen’s statue still stands in the city of Hoorn—

佐恩的雕像还在霍伦城里，

despite mounting pressure for its removal.

尽管移除雕像的压力越来越大。

Coen and the Dutch East India Company brought a prized commodity

佐恩和荷兰东印度公司 带来珍贵的产品，

under their control and profits soared.

在他们的控制下利润飙升。

But they achieved this by violently tearing another society apart.

但是在这个过程中 他们暴力撕裂另一个社会。