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

Translator: Magnus Chan Reviewer: Thomas Tam

During the 17th century,

喺十七世紀

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

三個英文字母 「VOC」 形成世界上最有名嘅標誌

These initials belonged to the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie,

呢個縮寫就係屬於聯合東印度公司 （Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie）

or the Dutch East India Company—

又叫荷蘭東印度公司——

widely considered the most profitable corporation ever created.

普遍認為係有史以嚟 最搵錢嘅公司

Starting in 1602, it cornered the booming spice market

從 1602 年開始壟斷咗 蓬勃發展嘅香料市場

and pioneered trade routes between Asia and Europe.

同埋開拓咗亞洲 同歐洲之間嘅貿易路線

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

但依啲成功帶有 沈重嘅人類生命作代價

When the Dutch state created the Company,

當荷蘭成立依間公司

it granted the organization the power to wage war,

佢俾咗依個機構喺亞洲 有發動戰爭

conduct diplomacy, and seize colonies throughout Asia.

展開外交同奪取殖民地嘅權力

The Dutch East India Company was intended to make money

本嚟荷蘭東印度公司係為咗搵錢

and battle competing European empires.

同埋同其他歐洲帝國競爭

The Asian market was the largest at the time

嗰陣亞洲市場係最大

and spices were in great demand throughout Europe.

同香料喺成個歐洲有好大需求

Nutmeg was among the most precious.

其中最珍貴嘅就喺肉荳蔻

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

但肉荳蔻淨係喺 印尼班達群島先至栽培到

If Dutch officials could seize exclusive control over nutmeg,

如果荷蘭官員獲得 對肉荳蔻嘅獨家控制權

they'd make their investors rich,

會令到投資者變得富有

ensure the Company’s long-term survival

亦確保公司長期嘅生存

and deprive their adversaries of the same gains.

同時剝奪競爭對手同樣嘅利益

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

但係計劃嘅成功 全賴於班丹人聽唔聽話

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

公司管理層同冷酷無情嘅 Jan Pieterszoon Coen

were willing to go to great lengths to ensure.

會不遺餘力噉去確保依樣嘢

Home to around 15,000 people,

班達群島大約有 15,000 居民

the Banda Islands were composed of village confederations

係由村民聯會組成

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

好叻做生意嘅 有錢 orang kaya 人控制

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

佢哋基本上壟斷咗肉荳蔻幾個世紀

selling at the highest price to Asian and European merchants.

以最高價賣俾亞洲同歐洲嘅商人

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

喺 1600 年代荷蘭 東印度公司嚟到嘅時候

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

啲官員勸班 orang kaya 人 簽一項條約

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

保證佢哋喺肉荳蔻嘅壟斷地位

Bandanese leaders had made similar agreements before,

過往班達群島領導 有同意過類似協議

but were able to break them without serious consequences.

但都可以違反咗 而無發生過嚴重後果

The Dutch represented a new threat.

荷蘭人帶嚟新嘅威脅

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

佢哋嘗試起堡壘去控制貿易同停止走私

同堅持所有肉荳蔻都要以低價賣俾佢哋

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

Many Bandanese refused and relations continued to deteriorate.

好多班達群島嘅人都唔願意 令到兩邊關係越嚟越差

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

喺 1609 年，一班村民突襲 殺死咗荷蘭上將同埋佢 40 個人

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

跟住嘅十年，局勢越嚟越緊張 條約簽完又毀，毀完又簽

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

公司同總督 Jan Pieterszoon Coen

began considering new strategies.

開始考慮新嘅策略

The Bandanese, one official wrote,

對班達人

有位官員寫道： 「一係講道理，一係完全滅絕。」

should be “brought to reason or entirely exterminated.”

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

Coen 認為，無戰爭、就無貿易

In 1621, with the approval of his superiors,

喺 1621 年，經過上級嘅同意

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

佢發動咗大規模嘅入侵 逼班達群島嘅領導簽咗另一份文件

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

但今次，條款並沒有承認 班丹人係一個主權民族——

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

佢哋係荷蘭東印度公司嘅殖民地臣民

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

好快，荷蘭官員就話發現咗 針對佢哋嘅陰謀

Coen used this to eliminate further resistance.

Coen 就用依樣藉口去鏟除阻力

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

佢命令士兵去折磨 班達群島嘅領導作逼供

Over the following months,

喺之後幾個月

Company troops waged a brutal campaign that decimated the population.

軍事部隊發動咗場殘酷戰役 導致班丹人口大量減少

Many Bandanese people were starved to death or enslaved

好多班丹人要餓死或做奴隸

and sent to distant Dutch colonies.

被送去好遠嘅荷蘭殖民地

Others jumped from cliffs rather than surrender.

其他就寧願跳崖都唔肯投降

Thousands fled, emptying out whole villages.

數以千計人逃難離開 清空咗好多村落

Some survivors resettled on other islands,

有幸存者到其他島嶼重新定居

where they preserved remnants of Bandanese language and culture.

保留淨低嘅班達群島語言同文化

When the Company’s violent campaign was over,

當公司嘅暴力行動結束

the indigenous population had plummeted to less than a thousand,

原居民得返少過一千人

most of whom were enslaved.

當中大部份都係奴隸

The Dutch East India Company sliced the islands into plantations

荷蘭東印度公司 將啲島分割成種植園

and imported an enslaved workforce.

同輸入咗奴隸作勞動力

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

從多方面嚟睇 依個係種族滅絕行為

By securing this global monopoly over nutmeg,

佢哋為咗壟斷全球肉荳蔻市場

the Company supercharged its economic development,

加快公司經濟嘅發展

contributing to the Dutch Golden Age.

為荷蘭黃金時代作出咗貢獻

Although Coen faced criticism,

雖然 Coen 面對批評

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

但一直到 20 世紀 佢都俾譽為民族英雄

400 years after the massacre on Banda,

班達大屠殺 400 年後

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

Coen 嘅塑像仍然坐落喺霍恩市——

despite mounting pressure for its removal.

即管要移除佢嘅壓力越嚟越大

Coen and the Dutch East India Company brought a prized commodity

Coen 同荷蘭東印度公司 帶嚟咗珍貴商品

under their control and profits soared.

喺佢哋控制下，利潤飆升

But they achieved this by violently tearing another society apart.

但佢哋用暴力撕裂咗另一個社會 嚟實現呢一個目標