The Dutch Republic of the 17th century was divided into seven provinces, each one with the ability to select its own ruler, as opposed to countries such as England, France, and Russia with their absolute monarchs. At the end of the Thirty Years War this independent republic was formally recognized by the rest of Europe. In the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic in the early 17th century, it was able to rise above much of Europe in exploration and trade by establishing the Dutch East India Company and Dutch West India Company. The main reason that the Dutch Republic of the 17th century was able to establish worldwide trade, house the largest bank in Europe, and have the highest condition of living at that time was because of the fact that they put less of an emphasis on absolute ruling and exhausted less effort controlling every aspect of the people than their absolutist neighbors.
In the Dutch Republic, an important part of what they stood for was their religious toleration. Though it was primarily Calvinist, many other religions resided and were accepted in the Dutch Republic. Christian minorities fled there from their home countries and lived in peace with Catholics, Jews, and Protestants. In Russia, Peter the Great attempted to secularize the country and the Russian Orthodox Church, but this was only met with rebellions by fundamentalist Christians. Peter had to use his army and his resources in order to bring them down, an effort which could have been used elsewhere and more successfully. In the Ottoman Empire, Muslim leaders were the ones ruling the country. They persecuted Christians and attempted to convert them to the Muslim faith. Eventually, this theocracy fell apart because of corrupt actions. If religion had been kept out of the equation and leaders could have been selected by the people, the Ottoman Empire would have had a better chance of succeeding in government workings like the Dutch Republic.
Because the Dutch Republic did not have an absolute monarchy, there was not one person who could take all the power or all the money. Even when William of Orange was appointed leader of six out of the seven provinces, he still could not be the supreme ruler. This was the earliest of a system of checks and balances, which none of the other countries followed. King Louis XIV of France had free reign when he came of age, and taxed the French peasantry enormously. With this money, he built the extravagant palace of Versailles, for use of him and his nobility -- the likes of which hardly paid any taxes. Not only did the Dutch Republic acquire their surplus of money more fairly, but they also put it to good use, distributing it fairly amongst its growing middle class.
Because of the relative peace and lack of angry rebellions in the Dutch Republic, much effort was given to building up a strong navy and expanding trade routes and territories. In 1600, their navy had roughly 10,000 ships, and the Dutch Republic was known to be home to excellent fishermen and canal builders. The Dutch East India Company traded with such places as Indonesia and India. The Dutch West India Company traded with Africa and the Americas. Because the Dutch Republic did not have to establish friendly relationships within its own country, it could make connections with other countries. While other countries were struggling interiorly, the Dutch Republic was doing just fine. It was doing so fine that, when there was conflict in England, William of Orange of the Dutch Republic was able to come in and take over, along with his wife Mary.
The Dutch Republic was the most successful of all European countries in the 17th century. It was peaceful, had a bustling economy, and had a very content, growing middle class. This was due to the fact that there was no absolute ruler, therefore no religious prejudices, no one person have all the power, and no one person to monopolize all of the money and resources. The leaders sharing the power in the Dutch Republic were able to keep all of their citizens happy because their distribution of power and money was equal. Because their people were happy, the leaders of the Dutch Republic and the wealthy merchants were able to establish very successful trade relationships with other countries, boosting the economy even more. The Dutch Republic had no problems with monarchs and corruptness because of their republic, and this is what made them so successful.
"The main reason that the Dutch Republic of the 17th century was able to establish worldwide trade, house the largest bank in Europe, and have the highest condition of living at that time was because of the fact that they put less of an emphasis on absolute ruling and exhausted less effort controlling every aspect of the people than their absolutist neighbors."
ReplyDeleteI think you could even go a bit further here: talk about the idea of the strong middle class in Holland as opposed to the bickering aristocracy in France, as well as the underlying foundation of the Dutch economy: namely, banking. How did this industry both centralize and capitalize on the realities of trade in the era?