Dan Snow's History Hit
Scotland's Disastrous Attempt at Empire
Oct 8, 2024
Douglas Watt, author of "The Price of Scotland," dives into Scotland's ambitious yet disastrous attempt to colonize Panama in the late 17th century. He discusses the dreams of wealth and trade that drove the ill-fated Darien scheme, where 1,200 settlers faced harsh realities, tropical diseases, and ultimately, death. Watt reveals how this national catastrophe not only impacted those who ventured to Darien but also reshaped Scotland's economy and fueled the urgency for political union with England.
29:45
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Quick takeaways
- Scotland's Darien scheme aimed to create a trading hub but faced dire consequences due to underestimating colonial challenges and competition.
- The disastrous failure sparked political unrest in Scotland, leading to calls for a union with England as a bailout strategy.
Deep dives
The Ambitious Venture into Darien
In the late 17th century, Scotland's ambition to establish a colony in Darien, modern-day Panama, was driven by the desire to emulate successful trading companies like the English East India Company and the Dutch East India Company. The venture, led by William Patterson, aimed to create a trading hub that could control trade routes between the Caribbean and the East Indies. However, the Scots underestimated the challenges of colonization, including competition from powerful empires such as Spain, which had longstanding claims to the region. The naive belief that the Spanish Empire was in decline was a miscalculation that would soon prove disastrous.
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