European State Consolidation in the 17th and 18th Centuries!

1
European State Consolidation in the 17th and
18th Centuries!
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The Netherlands Golden Age to Decline

• The Netherlands emerged as a nation after
  revolting against Spain in 1572.
• William 3rd of Orange led the entire European
  coalition against France.
• Other European nations pursued paths toward
  strong central government, generally under
  monarchies as with France, or in the case of
  England, under a strong parliamentary system. The
  Netherlands was formally a republic.

3

• The Calvinist Reformed Church was the official
  church of the nation, but it was not a
  established church. There were still a good
  number of Roman Catholics and Protestants who did
  not belong to the Reformed Church.
• In the Netherlands peoples of different religious
  faiths lived together peacefully.

4
Urban Prosperity

• Its economic achievement was built on the
  foundations of high urban consolidation,
  transformed agriculture, extensive trade and
  finance, and an overseas commercial empire.
• The Dutch reclaimed land from the sea, which they
  used for highly profitable farming.

5

• The final foundation of Dutch prosperity was a
  seaborne empire.
• Dutch traders established a major presence in
  East Asia, particularly in spice-producing areas.
• The Dutch had only wanted commercial dominance of
  the spice trade, but they later moved toward
  making the spices themselves. In order for them
  to do so, they needed to control many of the
  islands of Indonesia.

6
Economic declne

• The decline in political influence of the united
  provinces of the netherlands occurred in the
  eighteenth century. After the death of william
  iii of britain in 1702 the provinces prevented
  the emergence of another strong stadtholder.
  UNIFIED POLITICAL LEADERSHIP THEREFORE VANISHED.

7

• Naval supremacy passed to the British. The
  fishing industry declined, and the Dutch lost
  their technological superiority in ship
  building. Countries between which Dutch ships had
  once carried goods now traded directly with each
  other. This disunity of the provinces hastened
  this economic decline and prevented action that
  might have halted it.

8

• What saved the provinces from becoming completely
  insignificant in European affairs was their
  continued financial dominance.