Forgotten world empires: The rise and fall of the Dutch Empire

During the Enlightenment, the Netherlands were one of the world’s great imperial powers. They were then one of the freest countries in the world. They had a large measure of freedom of religion, as well as a high measure of free markets. These things contributed to make them one of the greatest powers of their time. This might seem ironic, because Holland was then (and still is now) a small country. But its robust economy gave it power far beyond its numbers. The Dutch colonial empire rose to be one of the greatest empires in the world. But, eventually, most of that empire was lost, and the Dutch Empire then went the way of many other great empires of the past. Obviously, there is a darker side to this colonial empire, as there was with every other such empire in history. But there may still be a few things to learn from their astonishing success story. And we might also be able to learn a few things from this empire’s decline and fall.

The Amsterdam Stock Exchange, circa 1670

A review of “The Spanish-American War” (audiobook)

The Spanish-American War started out as one of the most popular wars in American history. It was only long after the fact that it started to become unpopular even in the United States. The press – and in particular, the newspaper editor William Randolph Hearst – clamored for war at this time. Why did the United States do so? This is a topic that this audiobook examines in some depth. Specifically, they explore the American motivations for this war with Spain.

A review of “In Search of History: The Aztec Empire” (History Channel)

Before the Spanish Conquest, they ruled the southern part of what is today Mexico …

Before the Spanish Conquest, there were several native peoples in the Americas. They extended from the Arctic coasts of Canada to the lower tip of South America, and included many cultures and languages. All of them would eventually make contact with white colonists from a variety of European nations. Of those that made contact with Spain, there are a number of great civilizations, including the Maya and the Incas. But in North America, the most famous of these may be the Aztec. The reason for this is because the Aztecs were much closer to home for us. They controlled the southern part of what is today Mexico, at the time that the Conquistadors first arrived on this continent. I live in the United States – and more specifically, in Arizona, a state which shares a border with Mexico. This may explain why we hear somewhat more about them here. Their empire once stretched even further into what is today Central America, and had the beginnings of its own writing system.

A review of “The Mexican-American War” (audiobook)

Living in Arizona, one doesn’t have to ask why the “Mexican-American War” is important. I live in a part of Arizona that was once part of Mexico, but was transferred to the United States in the treaty that ended the war. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had profound and lasting consequences on both the United States and Mexico. By many reckonings, Mexico lost roughly one-half of its territory to the United States. This is the largest territorial transfer of any war in American history.