Dutch Republic

Discuss ways that the 17th-century Dutch Republic differed from its neighbors, telling how these differences contributed to the country's success.


The Dutch Republic did not operate in the same way as the rest of Europe. Its differences helped make the Netherlands become a respectable nation and  led to what is known as the Golden Age of the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic was very well-rounded in a multitude of subjects, ranging from agriculture to politics. The Republic became so respected that citizens of bordering countries immigrated there to experience the quality of life. France and England may have been more structurally sound than the Dutch Republic, but those countries did not excel as well or grow as rapidly as the Netherlands. The Dutch Republic achieved success, and also received recognition from the rest of Europe by developing their own goods to increase the standard of living, providing freedom and toleration for minority groups, and distributing power among several executive authorities.


The standard of living in the Dutch Republic was unusually high for its time. This aspect of Dutch life can be boiled down to the fact that most of the resources that the people used were made or found there. The Dutch were skilled craftsmen and they made or grew the resources they needed, and if they did not have something, they made sure that they received it in the most efficient way possible. Artists and scientists alike created useful tools and ideas that would culminate in the Scientific Revolution. All of the goods and resources procured in the Republic itself, the Netherlands experienced wealth. They did not have to spend excess amounts of cash on imports, instead they could focus on putting the money to good use building fine houses or providing patronage for the arts. The Dutch became a trading nation with the Far East, increasing its wealth two-fold. The Dutch lived moderately and worked more on developing items for trade. All of this gave everyone living in the Netherlands a high quality of life. 


The Netherlands became a sanctuary for anyone who sought religious toleration. The neighboring countries religiously persecuted minorities with inquisitions and suppression. Once Arminians received religious toleration in the Dutch Republic, many other social minorities flocked to the Netherlands to evade the harsh rule of  their home countries. The boosted population soon helped to increase the wealth of the Dutch even more than it had been. The cultures of each new religion helped define the culture of the Netherlands as a whole. This separated the Dutch from other cultures in which one religion was clearly dominant and the others were suppressed. Even though the Dutch republic was not free from faults, it provided a place of refuge for people who had faced bitter hardships for their religion. This helped the Netherlands grow into a powerful nation.   


The aspect of the Dutch Republic that greatly contributed to its success was its unusual, albeit effective, way to run its political system. Power was given to multiple people called "stadholders" and "burghers" who had limited but equal power. Decisions for the state of the Netherlands could not be made without the consent of the people. This displacement of power helped the Netherlands become more ordered than its neighboring countries. Unlike England and France, control was not given to one group of people or one specific person, instead it was divided up evenly. More time could be focused on the future of the region rather than deciding on political issues. The structure of politics in the Dutch Republic helped make the nation centralized and focused on one specific goal: becoming the most powerful nation in all of Europe. 


In the 17th century the Netherlands grew to be the greatest nation in Europe. Many aspects of Dutch life were not like any other culture in Europe. There was religious toleration, a well run political system, and resources in the Netherlands. These difference helped the Dutch Republic gain respect and glory. The Dutch Republic would never have gained such success had all of these tactics not been put into place. It was the strategy of the people that shaped the Dutch Republic into an ideal nation.