Technici als aangevers. Kanttekeningen bij de beschrijving van het aandeel van technici en ingenieurs

Abstract

Technical men as prompters: Some critical notes on the description of the part played by technicians and engineers Notwithstanding the highly interesting material and the quality of the series on the history of technological development in the Netherlands in the nineteenth century, some critical remarks need to be made. The six volumes together leave the eager reader with the impression of Dutch technical achievement totally, or almost totally, dependent on commercial entrepreneurship and on national competition under unfavourable market conditions. This is not the complete picture. Dutch shipbuilding and even the construction of warship steam engines remained in the forefront. The demands of the navy and later those of the emerging shipping companies were instrumental in preventing a big gap with British marine technology. Dredging, bridge construction and hydraulic engineering in general, were state of the art activities. Furthermore the technological basis for the nowadays successful food industries of the Netherlands was laid in the nineteenth century. Many chapters of the series pay tribute to the role of the commercially oriented entrepreneur in the introduction of steam power and other technical equipment. Engineers remain in the background, with the exception of some navy engineers and those working in public service on the construction of canals, dykes, railroads, and bridges. The question of their societal role in creating networks and platforms for technical modernization remains unanswered. This is especially regrettable for readers with an engineering background, but it does not affect the very positive judgement on the contribution of this series to a better understanding of the societal role of technology in the previous century.