Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "Sugar Capitalism in Colonial Indonesia" video.

Perhaps in the same way that many Indonesians are proud of their great archipelago, even though there are islands and regions that have sought independence for decades, and who are suppressed. Who is to say what is just and what is unjust?
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If there was money to be made anywhere in the world, they took that chance. Not much different from today. It's only the social development that has changed.
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Plus, they invented a whole software language.
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Too many people believe that capitalism simply means that a few people get rich at the expense of the many. But that has been the case long before capitalism was invented during the Industrial Revolution.
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Does it make a difference if the rulers who hold you down are foreigners or your own countrymen? You're still being oppressed.
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I think they take pride in their ability to conquer such large parts of of the world, and perhaps the cultural artifacts they left behind. They do not take pride in the cruelty that resulted from it. But we should also not forget that cruelty was the order of the day in past centuries, regardless of whether your country was free or colonized.
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Not so much the spice trade, which was thriving before sugar plantations existed. But sugar production was certainly one of the primary reasons for the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Europe had no sugar before that, because sugar cane can't grow in the European climate. Eating honey, the only sweet product, was reserved for the rich. You can even see it archeological digs: People buried before sugar became widely available in Europe have great teeth; those buried after have teeth full of cavities.
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@reddixiecrat I understand that, but the spice trade started with Vasco Da Gama and Columbus in the 15th century. The sugar trade and cultivation and associated slave plantations started later. So, to reiterate: Spice trade first, sugar plantations later.
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