Dutch Republicanism

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the development of republican practices and theories in the Dutch Republic from its rise in the 1580s to its demise around 1800. Focusing on the writings of, among others, Hugo Grotius, Pieter de la Court, and Baruch Spinoza, the chapter discusses the tensions between aristocratic and democratic interpretations of local autonomy, shared government, and collective forms of citizen rule. It relates how a commercial conception of republican citizenship resulted in a positive assessment of the amalgamation between self-interest and the common good. Analyzing the paradox between the propagation of republican liberty at home and the institution of chattel slavery abroad, the chapter shows how the rationalization of the Dutch domestic order went hand in hand with the rationalization of imperial rule. As a confederal republican polity that developed into a colonial empire, the case of the Dutch Republic reveals the intricate relationship between republicanism and empire.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Republicanism
EditorsFrank Lovett, Mortimer Sellers
PublisherOxford University Press
ISBN (Electronic)9780197754146
ISBN (Print)9780197754115
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Jan 2024

Publication series

NameOxford Handbooks
PublisherOxford University Press

Keywords

  • Dutch Republic
  • empire
  • Hugo Grotius
  • Pieter de la Court
  • Baruch Spinoza
  • commerce
  • concord
  • self-interest
  • liberty
  • slavery

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