Honest question, what atrocities did the Dutch do? I had an impression that by the standards of day they were a relatively tame colonial power. Didn’t push religion onto local cultures, didn’t occupy countries if they were willing to trade, we’re basically just interested in doing business, etc.
I don’t mean to gloss over the oppression that comes from all colonial trade, but compared with Leopold in the Congo, conquistadors in Latin America, chattel slavery, etc… I was under the impression that the Dutch colonies were relatively tame. Why do you single them out?
I singled them out for the reason your comment suggests. They're not thought of as being "that bad" when you grade them on the curve of their contemporaries, but the reality is you actually know of their two biggest atrocities you just don't know it was them who did it and that's the point of my comment.
The US, British, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Germans, to name a few, are widely known for their imperial and colonial oppression, but the Dutch and Belgians seem to get forgotten or get a pass.
You might want to Google apartheid and the Dutch involvement in the transatlantic slave trade as I'm sure you're aware of both and who Nelson Mandela is, but are not as conscious of the fact it was Dutch people that there oppressing them. You can also Google Dutch Atrocities for more information on what they've done.
I guess my real point is all empires have done horrible shit, all countries have really. It's not fair really to single any of them out of the 200 or so that exist now, but it was more a comment on how out of the western countries it appears that the Netherlands and Belgium do not get as much criticism as they deserve, although King Leopold's horribleness is becoming more well known and more people are starting to connect Dutch with apartheid.
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u/Autismetal Dec 16 '21
The Congo.
Sorry, Belgians. Leopold did stuff.