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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

During the 17th century,

十七世紀時，

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

VOC 這三個英文字母

成了全世界最為人所知的商標。

These initials belonged to the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie,

這三個字母代表 Verenigde

Oostindische Compagnie，

or the Dutch East India Company—

或者荷蘭東印度公司——

widely considered the most profitable corporation ever created.

被多數人認為是 史上最高利潤的企業。

Starting in 1602, it cornered the booming spice market

從 1602 年起，

它壟斷了景氣大好的香料市場，

and pioneered trade routes between Asia and Europe.

開拓了亞歐之間的貿易路線。

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

但這成功背後的代價， 是驚人的人命成本。

When the Dutch state created the Company,

當荷蘭創立了這間公司時，

it granted the organization the power to wage war,

也賦予它權力可以在亞洲各地

發動戰爭、進行外交和取得殖民地。

conduct diplomacy, and seize colonies throughout Asia.

The Dutch East India Company was intended to make money

荷蘭東印度公司的目的是要賺錢

and battle competing European empires.

並且和競爭的歐洲帝國交戰。

The Asian market was the largest at the time

當時，亞洲市場是最大的市場，

and spices were in great demand throughout Europe.

且歐洲各地對香料都有很大的需求。

Nutmeg was among the most precious.

肉豆蔻是最珍貴的香料之一。

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

但只有在印尼的班達群島才有栽培。

If Dutch officials could seize exclusive control over nutmeg,

如果荷蘭官員能夠獨家掌控肉豆蔻，

they'd make their investors rich,

就能讓他們的投資者發財、

ensure the Company’s long-term survival

確保公司的長期生存，

and deprive their adversaries of the same gains.

並讓他們的對手無法得到這些。

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

然而，他們的計畫取決於 班達人民是否屈服。

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

這一點是該公司的官員， 如無情的揚·彼得斯佐恩·庫恩

were willing to go to great lengths to ensure.

會願意不計代價也要確保達成的。

Home to around 15,000 people,

班達群島有約一萬五千名居民，

the Banda Islands were composed of village confederations

由村落聯盟組成，

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

由富人掌控，他們被稱為

「 orang kaya」，是貿易專家。

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

他們已經獨佔肉豆蔻數個世紀，

selling at the highest price to Asian and European merchants.

用最高的價格銷售給 亞洲和歐洲商人。

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

1600 年代初期， 荷蘭東印度公司抵達時，

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

其官員說服了一群 orang kaya 簽署協定。

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

協定保證會保護他們， 以交換肉豆蔻的獨佔權。

Bandanese leaders had made similar agreements before,

班達群島的領導人以前 也做過類似的協議，

but were able to break them without serious consequences.

但可以違約而不用面對嚴重後果。

The Dutch represented a new threat.

荷蘭人代表著新的威脅。

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

他們嘗試建造堡壘 來控制貿易並阻止走私，

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

並堅持所有的肉豆蔻

都要用平減價格賣給他們。

Many Bandanese refused and relations continued to deteriorate.

許多班達人拒絕，

彼此的關係持續惡化。

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

1609 年，

一群村民埋伏並殺害了一名荷蘭將官

以及他的四十名手下。

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

在接下來十年，

協定被打破又重新簽訂， 局勢越來越緊張。

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

該公司及揚·彼得斯佐恩·庫恩，

該地的總督，

began considering new strategies.

開始思考新策略。

The Bandanese, one official wrote,

一名官員寫道，班達人

should be “brought to reason or entirely exterminated.”

應該要「停止無謂的抵抗， 不然就要將他們完全消滅。」

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

庫恩自己相信， 不發動戰爭就不會有貿易。

In 1621, with the approval of his superiors,

1621 年，

在上級的同意之下，

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

他發動大規模入侵，

強迫班達領導人簽署另一份文件。

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

但這一次，

條約並不承認班達人 是具有獨立主權的人——

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

他們是荷蘭東印度公司的殖民臣屬。

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

沒多久，荷蘭官員宣稱 他們發現要對抗他們的陰謀。

Coen used this to eliminate further resistance.

庫恩藉此消滅了進一步的反抗。

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

他命令他的士兵拷打 班達領導人，以取得自白。

Over the following months,

在接下來幾個月，

Company troops waged a brutal campaign that decimated the population.

該公司的軍隊發動了殘忍的戰役，

對人民進行大屠殺。

Many Bandanese people were starved to death or enslaved

許多班達人被餓死

或奴役並送到遙遠的荷蘭殖民地。

and sent to distant Dutch colonies.

Others jumped from cliffs rather than surrender.

其他人寧可跳下懸崖也不願投降。

Thousands fled, emptying out whole villages.

數千人逃走，所有村落都沒有人了。

Some survivors resettled on other islands,

有些倖存者在其他島嶼上重新定居，

where they preserved remnants of Bandanese language and culture.

在那裡保存了班達 語言和文化的遺物。

When the Company’s violent campaign was over,

等該公司的暴力戰役結束之後，

the indigenous population had plummeted to less than a thousand,

原住民人口只剩下不到一千人，

most of whom were enslaved.

且大多被奴役。

The Dutch East India Company sliced the islands into plantations

荷蘭東印度公司把班達群島 切割成新開墾地，

and imported an enslaved workforce.

進口奴役勞動力。

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

從許多標準來看，這都是場大屠殺。

By securing this global monopoly over nutmeg,

成功壟斷全球的肉豆蔻之後，

the Company supercharged its economic development,

該公司的經濟發展一飛衝天，

contributing to the Dutch Golden Age.

促成了荷蘭的黃金時代。

Although Coen faced criticism,

雖然庫恩面臨批評，

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

到二十世紀時他仍然 被捧為國家英雄。

400 years after the massacre on Banda,

班達大屠殺的四百年後，

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

庫恩的雕像仍然豎立在荷恩市——

despite mounting pressure for its removal.

不過要求將它移除的聲浪越來越高。

Coen and the Dutch East India Company brought a prized commodity

庫恩和荷蘭東印度公司

控制了最有價值的商品， 利潤因此飆升。

under their control and profits soared.

But they achieved this by violently tearing another society apart.

但他們暴力摧毀了另一個 社會才有這樣的成就。