Windmills in the Netherlands are recorded to have been used since about 1200. They had varied uses, but the most important was to grind and crush grain. Within 450 years, the Netherlands would enjoy a "Golden Age" of world power, crushing the weaker economies with its strength much as the windmills of the country had been doing for centuries to its wheat. The Netherlands, a small country with just two million inhabitants and virtually no natural resources …showed first 75 words of 680 total…

…showed last 75 words of 680 total…pay it back. The bank applied lower interest on deposits with the idea that the customers' money was safe. This, in turn, permitted it to lend money at lower rates of interest. Following these guidelines made the Bank of Amsterdam the safest bank in Europe. Whether it be religious tolerance, the Bank of Amsterdam, or Dutch exploration and trade, the Netherlands looked past its small size and population and succeeded in becoming a world power.