From Paternalism to Liberalism: The Gape Colony, 1800–1834

Trapido, Stanley

doi:10.1080/07075332.1990.9640538

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…What this paper does show is that previous depictions of the eighteenth century Cape as an 'economic and social backwater' 78 or of a material culture that reflects 'living for the most part in isolated homesteads, [on] a scanty subsistence by the pastoral industry, and hunting' 79 are not supported by the quantitative evidence of luxury products ownership reported in the Cape probate inventories. Instead, our findings support recent evidence by Fourie and Van Zanden 80 that the economic divergence between South Africa and North America was not an eighteenth century phenomenon, but only arose during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.…”

Section: Implications and Conclusioncontrasting

confidence: 41%

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

Fourie¹,

Uys²

2012

Tijdschrift Voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis/ the Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Implications and Conclusioncontrasting

confidence: 41%

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

Fourie¹,

Uys²

2012

Tijdschrift Voor Sociale en Economische Geschiedenis/ the Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2 2 Trapido, ‘From paternalism to liberalism’, p. 78; de Kock, Economic history of South Africa , pp. 24, 40; de Kiewiet, History of South Africa . …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The remarkable wealth of the Dutch Cape Colony: measurements from eighteenth‐century probate inventories¹

Fourie

2012

The Economic History Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How comfortable was the life of the average settler in the Dutch Cape Colony of the eighteenth century? The generally accepted view is of a poor, subsistence economy, with little progress being made in the 143 years of Dutch rule (1652–1795). This article shows that new evidence from probate inventory and auction roll records contradicts earlier historical accounts. These documents bear witness to a relatively affluent settler society, comparable to some of the most prosperous regions of eighteenth‐century England and Holland. This detailed picture of the material wealth of the Colony should inspire a revision of the standard accounts. The causes and consequences of this prosperity are also considered briefly.

show abstract

“…But what about the income of the average Cape inhabitant? For most of the twentieth century, the Dutch Cape Colony was seen as an “economic and social backwater,” “more of a static than progressing community,” a slave‐based subsistence economy that “advanced with almost extreme slowness” (De Kock, :24, 40; Trapido, ). Although some farmers did prosper, most lived just above subsistence level as pastoral farmers in the interior.…”

Section: The Cape Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: The National Accounts of a Slave‐Based Society

Fourie

Zanden

2013

South African J Economics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

New estimates of the gross domestic product of the Dutch Cape Colony (1652‐1795) suggest that the Cape was one of the most prosperous regions during the eighteenth century. This stands in sharp contrast to the perceived view that the Cape was an “economic and social backwater,” a slave economy with slow growth and little progress. Following a national accounts framework, we find that Cape settlers' per capita income is similar to the most prosperous countries of the time – Holland and England. We trace the roots of this result, showing that it is partly explained by a highly skewed population structure and very low dependency ratio of slavery, and attempt to link the eighteenth‐century Cape Colony experience to twentieth‐century South African income levels.

show abstract

From Paternalism to Liberalism: The Gape Colony, 1800–1834

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

The remarkable wealth of the Dutch Cape Colony: measurements from eighteenth‐century probate inventories¹

GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: The National Accounts of a Slave‐Based Society

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

From Paternalism to Liberalism: The Gape Colony, 1800–1834

Cited by 23 publications

References 0 publications

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

Luxury product consumption in eighteenth-century Cape Colony households

The remarkable wealth of the Dutch Cape Colony: measurements from eighteenth‐century probate inventories1

GDP in the Dutch Cape Colony: The National Accounts of a Slave‐Based Society

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

The remarkable wealth of the Dutch Cape Colony: measurements from eighteenth‐century probate inventories¹