Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Dutch Constitutionalism
- Religion
- All European people practiced religious
toleration- accepted all faiths
- Urbanity in Dutch society allowed for
religious freedom
- As long as business people practiced religion in private,
government did not interfear with them
- Toleration attracted foreign capital and
investments
- People of all races and religions traded in Amsterdam
- Government
- The Dutch were republican
- Controlled by wealthy
merchants and financiers
- A strong confederation- a weak union of strong
provinces
- Withstood French and English attacks in the
scound half of the 17th century
- Commerce and Trade
- A group of regents in Holland formed the Dutch
East India trading company, a joint stock company
- Traded with Latin America and Africa the most
- The Dutch established trading post in the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon,
and Malacca
- Food prices fluctuated very little, wages were high, and
everyone ate well
- Got involved with imperialist
exploitation of East Asia and Latin
America
- The peace signed in 1713 to end the war started Dutch economic decline
- Industry
- Fishing industry was the cornerstone of the Dutch economy
- Profits from herring went towards shipbuilding
- Dutch had estimated 16,000 merchant ships- half of the ships in Europe
- Controlled the Baltic grain trade
- Dutch wealth depended more on transport than on
exports
- Province
- Wealthy merchants called regents handled
domestic affairs in the local estate
- Provinical estates held virtually all the power
- All issues had to be referred back to the Local Estates for
approval
- States General appointed represantives,
stadholders, in each province
- The highest executive stadholder carried out
ceremonial functions and was responsible for
defense and good order