What was the nickname of the 1637 Dutch tulip-market collapse?
Answer
Tulip mania
Answer
Tulip mania
The 1637 Dutch tulip-market collapse is commonly known as Tulip mania.
During the Dutch Golden Age, tulip bulbs became fashionable luxury goods. Some rare varieties commanded extremely high prices, and contracts for bulbs could change hands before the flowers were delivered. This activity has often been presented as the first great speculative bubble.
In February 1637, an auction in Haarlem reportedly failed to attract buyers, and confidence weakened rapidly. Prices then fell, leaving some contract holders unable or unwilling to complete their purchases. The effects were real for participants, but later popular accounts exaggerated the scale of the damage to the wider Dutch economy.
Historians debate how closely the episode resembles a modern stock-market crash because the traded assets were bulbs and contracts rather than company shares. The term remains useful as shorthand for speculative enthusiasm followed by a sudden collapse, but claims that the entire Dutch economy was ruined are not supported by the evidence.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026