Amaury de Vicq de Cumptich’s research delves into how the benefits from colonialism were distributed within colonizing nations. The question of who benefitted from colonialism continues to spark debate in society and academia. Current literature suggests that the colonizing nations were the “winners” of colonialism, but the question of distribution has not yet been looked into in detail. Offering a novel perspective, de Vicq de Cumptich’s research asks who profited from these colonial investments, and to what extent. He will address these key questions through a three-step analysis, relying on access to unique data sources. “Firstly, I will assess the profitability of colonial investments by analyzing corporate and stock exchange data. Secondly, I will examine succession tax records to explore how individuals invested their wealth, focusing specifically on investments in colonial stocks and bonds. Finally, I will explore how these investment choices impacted the accumulation of personal wealth.”

New avenue in Dutch colonial historiography

De Vicq de Cumptich’s project focuses on the Netherlands during the mid-19th to early-20th centuries, when it was a significant colonial power. The country makes for an invaluable case study due to a richness of historical sources. It holds a distinct position in colonial history due to the so-called cultivation system, established in the 1830s. This system was notorious for its profitability for the Dutch government and inspired similar extractive policies in Belgium and Britain. While the system’s economic benefits for the Dutch metropole are well documented, little is known about the scale and scope of private investments let alone about who benefited from these investments after the system’s gradual abolition in the 1860s. De Vicq de Cumptich’s project addresses this important gap in Dutch colonial historiography, but it will also be part of an international research agenda. “My findings will help us better understand our colonial legacy, provide nuance to the ongoing debate on colonial reparations, and deepen our understanding of how colonialism impacted Dutch wealth inequality and wealth distributions in general.”