THE INFLUENCE OF GUILD TOWARDS THE DUTCH ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY

Abstract

The history of the growth of a city in Western Europe, particularly the cities in the Benelux region in the Middle Ages cannot be separated from the presence of Guilds, which is a group of craftsman for tools in need by society to lead their everyday life. With a simple and compact historical approach, this paper reveals the legacies left by Guilds in medieval times. These legacies have physical and non-physical (social systems) form in the social life of today's modern European society, especially the Dutch community who are in the Benelux region. However there are several loopholes that could bring negative impact in today's modern social life.