How to Transform Congenital Disadvantage into New Momentum for Economic Development: Based on the Study of Dutch Foreign Trade

The Netherlands is an ancient trading country, and due to geographical constraints, it has been actively seeking business opportunities and resources. This paper examines how the Netherlands transformed its natural disadvantages into new drivers of economic development since the fifteenth century. The purpose of this paper is to better understand the dynamics and paths of economic development in the Netherlands. This paper takes the perspective of Dutch foreign trade, combines literature analysis and case study methods, and adopts the method of diachronic research. The results of the study show that the Netherlands has transformed its geographical limitations into a new driving force for economic development in the development of maritime power, commerce, and foreign investment. The innovation of this paper lies in the unique perspective. Starting from the economic development process of the Netherlands since the 15th century, it presents readers with a comprehensive and in-depth economic development process of the Netherlands.