The History of Amsterdam

Sep 8, 2010
Sandra Bancroft

Amsterdam Canal - Sophia van den Broek

A History of Europe's youngest capital city from its lowly origins in the 13th century to the social and racial tensions of the 21st century.

The capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, is a young city, one of the youngest capital cities in Europe originating in the 13th Century. The early inhabitants of this poor, marshy area were fishermen who, it is thought, built a bridge with wooden doors across the river Amstel. The wooden doors served as a dam thereby creating a large natural harbour. At this time, the town was called Amstelland and came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Utrecht.

From Fisherman to Traders of Beer

During the 14th Century, the fisherman discovered more lucrative employment – the trading of beer, particularly in the region surrounding the Baltic Sea where a tax had been imposed on the beverage. During the next century the former fishermen became traders in beer and grain turning Amsterdam into the most important trading centre in Holland and improving the economy of the city.

Religious Tolerance in Amsterdam

In the 16th Century, the Dutch rebelled against their then-ruler, the Hapsburg King of Spain, against the reduced power of the local nobility and the lack of religious freedom enjoyed by the population. The Dutch eventually achieved their independence and adopted a tolerant attitude towards those of other faiths. Thus Amsterdam and the Dutch Republic became a haven for those persecuted for their religious beliefs during these turbulent times in European history. Wealthy Jews from the Iberian Peninsula and Huguenots from France fled to Amsterdam.

A Global Economic Power

The 17th Century was the high point for Amsterdam; it was the world’s leading financial city, merchants financed exploration across the world and merchants traded goods through Amsterdam to and from the four corners of the globe. Thousands of migrant workers flocked into the city attracted by the prospects and in the 17th and 18th Centuries, immigrants from Germany, Flanders, France and Scotland formed the majority of the population. Craftsmen had to serve as local councilors, guilds were formed and membership mandatory so that immigrants and their children were assimilated into the local population easily and quickly.

The Industrial Revolution

Amsterdam’s prosperity declined during the 18th Century; the wars with Great Britain and France taking their toll, but lifted again at the end of the 19th Century with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Two canals were built; the Amsterdam-Rijn to the Rhine and the Noordzee to the North Sea improving communication and subsequently the economy. The Centraal Station and museums were built as well as forts to defend the city. But at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Netherlands remained neutral.

The Second World War, Jews and the Diamond Trade

Germany invaded and occupied Amsterdam in World War II deporting more than 100,000 Jews. Amsterdam suffered because of this loss as there was a sharp decline in the diamond trade because the majority of the business was in the hands of the Jewish population. At the end of the war, the Netherlands joined NATO, no longer content to be considered neutral.

Amsterdam Coffee Shops

The tolerance of the people of Amsterdam has been accorded to their history. They have not lived under the feudal system and it is a young city. Their laissez-faire attitude has lent itself to the introduction of cannabis-selling coffee shops.

Modern Immigration

In the 1980s immigrants flocked into Amsterdam mainly from Suriname, Turkey and Morocco and now account for 45% of the population. In the last few years the perceived tolerance and diversity of Amsterdam has been tested. At the beginning of the century the economy slowed down and racial and social tensions grew.

In 2002, Pim Fortuyn, the gay anti-immigration politician was assassinated, causing worries that the Dutch society’s traditional policy of tolerance was at risk. In 2004, an Islamist extremist murdered filmmaker Theo van Gogh after the making of a film about the role of Muslim women. This murder caused the government to take a harder stance on policies of immigration and failed asylum seekers.

The once-poor city of Amsterdam is now an economically rich city as a global player in the delivery of a service-based economy. Throughout its history, it has attracted immigrants because of its solid economy and religious and racial tolerance. Only the future can tell if this tolerance will withstand the religious and racial tensions that appear to be growing in the 21st Century.