The Dutch Republic in the Eighteenth Century

Following the brilliant Golden Age, the eighteenth century has seemed to many historians of the Netherlands one of decline and a time when Dutch politics were dominated by foreign influences. Yet this was a period when the Netherlands served as a major publishing center for enlightened ideas and when the Dutch Revolution of 1787 anticipated that of the French. Bringing together sixteen essays by a distinguished group of Dutch and American historians, the present volume restores a neglected chapter in the history of the Netherlands and makes a major contribution to our understanding of the Enlightenment as a European—not merely a French or an English—phenomenon.
Individual chapters offer nuanced answers to such questions as: Who were the Patriotten who led the Dutch Revolution? What social and cultural factors made them seek to overturn the institutions of the ancien régime? Did their writings and actions mark a fundamental break with the cultural values of their nation and time? Finally, what can the Dutch story tell us about the complex relationships between the culture of the Enlightenment and the democratic revolutions that ushered in the political and social institutions of the modern nation-state?
The Dutch Republic in the Eighteenth Century will be valuable reading for those interested in the history of eighteenth-century European politics and culture.