Part 68: Q&A - December 14

Empire Total War: The Second 80 Years War quick online Q&A

Q: What were the economies of other nations like at the time? How did the Dutch compare economically?

A: The Dutch were by far the most economically advanced society in the world during the 1700s. Other nations prior to the war that were economically powerful were the Marathas, Sweden, Britain, the Ottomans and the Russians. The British were almost entirely a trade nation, while Sweden held very wealthy cities and factories, the Marathas had a huge taxable population, and the Ottomans were well invested in natural resources and factories. The Dutch were unique in that their global positions had all of these resources to draw their economy from.


After the war had broken out, by around 1722, the Dutch had blockaded most of Britain from their colonies and trade partners, putting them into temporary deficit, forcing a minor army reform to make up for the loss in trade income. Similar to the Dutch, the British made enough through tax revenue to accommodate most of their expenses, but without trade, much like the Dutch they went slightly into the red.

The Marathas were put into a less desperate situation than the British at the start of the war. With the death of over four thousand men in their first year of the war the loss of taxable and industrial land meant less, as they had the equivalent of one million five hundred thousand guilders a year freed to expend. Due to the size and coastline of the Marathas, the Dutch were also less capable of blockading their trade.